American Honey
by Inmyownwords92
Summary: AU. After coming home to find out her husband of five years has been cheating on her, Quinn Fabray decides to make some changes in her life. This is a story about finding yourself, finding true love and everything else in between. Ships: Quinntana, Fuinn and mentions of Brittana but Quinntana is Endgame. Rated M just in case Will be in later chapters so it wont get taken down lol
1. A Chance Meeting

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything that is glee whatsoever.**_

American Honey

_June 1, 1995_

_It was another scorching hot day in Tennessee as a nine year old Quinn sat on her grams front porch, both of them listening to the radio and playing cards, trying to take their minds off of the heat. Even the fan that was circulating between the two of them wasn't enough to cool them down. _

_"Grams, I think my brain is frying it's so hot." Quinn whined as she scanned the cards she had in her hand, looking for matches. Her hair was sticking to the back of her neck uncomfortably and she couldn't help but squirm in her seat as her summer dress was starting to cling in all the wrong places. Quinn's grandma laughed at the little girl's exaggeration. _

_"I know baby girl! This has got to be the hottest summer yet. I feel like a polar bear with all its fur roaming the dessert!" Betty Fabray exclaimed and Quinn giggled, placing down a pair of matching two's. _

_"Grams! Polar bears don't live in the dessert!" Quinn shouted, a bit scandalized, with a giggle and Betty joined in with her._

_"Glad you know your facts Quinnie bear." Betty replied, placing down her own pair of matching cards._

_"Got a king?" Quinn asked, needing just that one and an ace to complete her deck, proving her triumphant win in the game of goldfish against her grams._

_"Nope, little booger. Looks like you're going fishing." Grams said mockingly which won her a playful scowl from Quinn. _

_"Got an ace?" Betty asked and once again Quinn had that adorable scowl on her face and begrudgingly gave her grams her only ace card. It was the last card in her grams hand and Quinn knew she had lost again. _

_"That's game baby girl. Maybe next time." Betty said with a playful smile as she ruffled Quinn's hair. _

_"Come on Grams you never let me win!" Quinn whined as she placed her cards on the table in front of them and sighed. _

_"Well if I always let you win, it wouldn't teach you anything about working hard to accomplish something that you really want." Betty said truthfully and once again Quinn let out a sigh. _

_"I'm only nine grams. That's like a lesson for grown ups." Quinn replied with a laugh and Betty smiled. _

_"Well sweetheart, I've learned you're never too young for a good life lesson." Grams replied with a chuckle of her own and another ruffle of Quinn's hair._

_"Tell you what little lady, since it doesn't look like this heat is gonna let up any time soon, how about you run down to the corner store and get us some cold drinks and I'll make us some lunch. That sound good?" Betty asked and Quinn gave her a wide eyed look._

_"You're gonna let me go by myself? Mom never lets me go anywhere by myself." Quinn asked, surprise coloring her words and Betty let out a chuckle. _

_"Sure. I know you'll be responsible and stay out of trouble. You always do. It's your sister Frannie that I'm worried about getting into trouble. I'm sure she's wracking up points for the both of you." Betty said with a grin and Quinn wore a matching one. Frannie was always getting into trouble for something, especially when it concerned that boy down the street, but Quinn guessed that's what you were supposed to do at fourteen. She couldn't wait until she turned fourteen. Then she could most definitely go to the store on her own. _

_Quinn jumped from her seat, excitement written all over her face at the fact that she was going to the store all on her own without any supervision while her gram dashed inside to get her coin purse. When her grams came back she gave Quinn a stern look before giving her a handful of change._

_"Remember, no talking to strangers. You got that darling?" Betty asked and Quinn nodded her head vigorously. _

_"Got it. No talking to strangers." Quinn parroted with another sharp nod of her head and that had Betty smiling. _

_"Alright kiddo. Off you go. I'll have lunch ready when you get back." Betty said and once she had the go ahead, Quinn bolted from the front porch and down the road like her tail was on fire. Quinn absolutely loved spending summers with her grams. _

_Her and her sister Frannie have been spending every summer, since Quinn was six, at their grams house in Tennessee. Quinn was never sure of, or told, the particular reason why this was but even at nine years old she was pretty perceptive. She was more than sure it had to do with all the yelling and fighting that happened between her parents. She was more than sure it had to do with the fact that ever since her grandpa passed, her grams has been a lot more lonely than usual. Of course Quinn would rather be spending the summer in Boston with her friends instead of listening to Frannie fuss at her for simply existing or making kissy noises on the phone but she wasn't too miffed abut t. Spending summers with her grams was starting to become an event she looked forward to. Plus, it was a lot quieter at her grams house than it was at her own. _

_Quinn was absolutely buzzing with excitement when she walked into the Quick and Go. It was her first time ever venturing somewhere on her own, that wasn't the confined areas of her elementary, and she was going to enjoy every second of it. _

_"Well hello there little lady, what can I do you for this afternoon?" The old, scruffy looking store attendant asked in a cheerful voice as Quinn looked around a little overwhelmed but still glowing. _

_"Where do you keep your ice cold drinks?" Quinn asked with a bright smile._

_"Right there at the back young lady." The clerk replied with a smile of his own and with a nod of her head, Quinn made her way to the back of the store to the glass freezers that held an array of drinks from juice to beer. As Quinn studied the drinks, finger tapping at her chin in wonder of what her grams would want, a faint _'psst'_ made its way to her. Quinn could see someone in her peripheral but she didn't want to turn around and give them her attention. Her grams' only rule was _don't talk to strangers _and she was going to follow that one to a tee; lest she never get to go anywhere on her own again. _

_Quinn ignored the request for her attention and went back to looking at the beverages, deciding that her grams would probably enjoy a coke just like she did. Just as Quinn went to yank the freezer door open to pull out the glass bottles another _'psst'_ was called to her. She turned to see a little brunette girl, probably about the same age as her, waving her over. Quinn didn't know this girl from jack so she looked around just to assess that this girl was in fact talking to her._

_"Yes you Blondie." The brunette replied to the silent question with an exasperated tone and a roll of her eyes. Quinn knew she wasn't supposed to be talking to strangers but this girl looked like she could beat her up so she walked over to her, slightly confused as to what it was she could possibly want her for. _

_"Okay, I'm gonna need you to be my eyes." She said with a pointed look at Quinn to which she received a deep frown from the blonde._

_"My grams said I'm not supposed to talk to strangers." Quinn stated matter of factly and once again the girl was sighing and rolling her eyes. She then stuck out her hand for Quinn to shake. _

_"Santana Lopez." The girl intoned as Quinn placed her hand in Santana's, to which the brunette gave a firm shake. _

_"There. We aren't strangers anymore. So you gonna help me or what?" Santana asked impatiently as she glanced at the scruffy attendant and then back to her. _

_"Well it depends on what exactly it is I'm helping you with." Quinn said with a raise of her eyebrow and her hands planted firmly on her hips. She had been trying to perfect that eyebrow raise to make her look menacing, just like it did for her mother and Frannie, for a few months now and she was pretty positive she had exceeded if the falter in Santana's face was any indication. _

_"Well its no guess that's it super hot today. So I want a nice cold soda." Santana said and once again a deep frown was marring Quinn's features. _

_"And what does you wanting a soda have to do with me?" Quinn asked, now crossing her arms in front of her. This girl wasn't making any sense. _

_"The fact that I'm going to take them without paying is what it has to do with you. I need you to be my eyes so I don't get caught." Santana replied truthfully and Quinn let out a tiny gasp, drawing the clerk's attention towards the two of them. Santana gave him a sickeningly sweet smile before turning back to face Quinn._

_"Stealing?! That's illegal!" Quinn exclaimed in a scandalized tone. _

_"Oh really? I didn't know that. We got ourselves a regular Sherlock Holmes here." Santana replied sarcastically with another roll of her eyes and Quinn was pretty sure if she rolled her eyes any harder they would be on the floor of the Quick and Go. _

_"And keep your voice down Blondie!" Santana chastised in a stage whisper, hands waving about and probably bringing more attention to them than Quinn's voice._

_"Quinn." The blonde intoned and Santana gave her a puzzled look._

_"What?" Santana asked and this time it was Quinn who was rolling her eyes._

_"My name is Quinn. Quinn Fabray." Quinn informed Santana. _

_"Alright then **Quinn Fabray**, be my look out." Santana declared, egging the blonde on so she would be her look out. Quinn sighed with a nervous look on her face. She knew this was the sort of thing her grams would want her to stay out of but she didn't know if she could tell Santana no. There was something about those big brown eyes, which reminded her of her puppy's back home, begging her to help her out. _

_"I don't know. What if we get in trouble?" Quinn asked nervously, wiping her sweating palms on the thigh of her dress. _

_"We won't. Look this guy has it coming. He's always hassling me and my buddy Puck about rough housing in the store or reading his crummy choice of comic books without buying them so we decided we'd lighten his load to a few sodas. Think of it as pay back for the trouble he puts us through." Santana remarked with a laugh and Quinn rolled her eyes. _

_"Well why don't you have your 'buddy' Puck help you out?" Quinn asked as she glanced at the time on her watch. She was pretty sure she had been gone longer than it takes to buy a few sodas from the store. _

_"What's with the 21 questions? Geeze, do you want me to map out a power point presentation for you or something?" Santana asked, getting overly impatient now. _

_"Plus he is. He's manning the door." Santana replied with a nod of her head towards the door to where a boy, with what looked like a squirrel on the top of his head, was just outside the door of the mart. Quinn guessed it was supposed to be a Mohawk but it really just looked like a rodent had died on his head. He was signaling at Santana to hurry up and she waved him off._

_"So now that you know every detail of my plan, I ask again. Are you going to help me or have you just wasted my time? Don't be a wuss Fabray." Santana remarked with a smirk as Quinn mulled the idea over in her head. She could do the right thing and tell Santana no, get her sodas and leave or she could help Santana and wrack up her own points in stirring up trouble. _

_"Fine. I'll help you." Quinn obliged and Santana gave a little whoop before opening the glass doors and taking out two glass bottles of coke and handing them to Quinn before taking two in her own hands and then sticking them under her shirt. She 'oohed' and 'ahhed' at the chill from the glass. Quinn glanced back at the front counter to see the old guy nodding off in a magazine. The coast was clear._

_"Alright, the old geezer is sleeping so on my signal just run okay?" Santana announced and Quinn nodded her head quickly. _

_"1…2…3!" Santana exclaimed in a whisper and they both took off from the back of the store. Santana was clear but just as Quinn reached the door she stopped herself. She knew she couldn't do it. She couldn't steal. It just wasn't in her. The clerk was woken up by the commotion and Quinn just placed the two sodas in her hand on the counter top. _

_"Oh and my friend had two sodas too. How much will that be?" Quinn asked with a shaky smile on her face._

_"That'll be three bucks all together miss." The clerk retorted with a knowing look. Quinn placed the money on the counter, took her sodas, and booked it out of the shop. Once she was back outside in the heat, she saw Santana and her friend Puck waiting down the road for her. Quinn sighed and began to walk towards them and back to her grams house._

_"What took you so long?" Santana asked, slowly taking a drink of her soda as the blonde finally reached them._

_"I was paying for **our** sodas." Quinn declared in a clipped tone as she continued to walk down the road, Santana and Puck falling in line beside her._

_"Aw come on, you paid?" Santana whined while Puck laughed._

_"Yes I paid because stealing isn't nice. Even if that guy is an old geezer as you say." Quinn related and to that Santana rolled her eyes with a scoff._

_"We should call her goody two shoes Fabray form now on." Puck chimed in and that earned him a laugh from Santana but a scowl from the blonde. _

_"I'd rather be called that than Puck. What kind of name is that anyways? Plus, it looks like you have a rodent on your head so I wouldn't be laughing at anything if I was you." Quinn said with a bite. Puck glared at her but Santana was laughing so hard that soda came out of her nose. That had them all in a fit of giggles. _

_"That was a good one Fabray. And as of now you aren't allowed to poke fun at her Puck because you have a squirrel on your head." Santana remarked bumping her should against Puck's and earning a smile from Quinn. Puck bumped her shoulder back and continued to drink his soda. The three of them walked in a comfortable silence until Santana spoke up._

_"So Quinn did you just move here? I've never seen you around before." Santana asked kicking at a rock that was in her path._

_"No. I don't live here. I live in Boston but my sister and I come down here every summer to visit my grams." Quinn related as she put one of the sodas she was carrying against her forehead. The heat was still sweltering and the chilled glass felt good against her skin. _

_"Boston huh? Must be a lot cooler than this crummy old town." Puck commented and Santana agreed. They were only nine years old and already they were tired of this small town. They already practically knew everyone here._

_"Yeah it's nice. There are a lot of trees over there and it doesn't get nearly as hot over there as it does here." Quinn said as they were nearing her grams house. Her tummy grumbled just thinking about lunch._

_"Well hopefully you don't get too bored over the summer and let me tell you that happens fast here. There isn't nearly enough to do in this town." Santana spoke up and Puck nodded his head in agreement. _

_"Stick with us though and you'll have fun." Puck said with a wink to Quinn which had her blushing. Santana just shook her head at the two of them with a slight smirk on her face. Pretty soon they were stopping at Quinn's grams' front gate. _

_"Well this is my stop." Quinn voiced and Santana looked at her surprised._

_"Oh you're Ms. Fabray's grandkid? She's a cool lady, never yells at me for picking her flowers and doesn't tell my abuela half the trouble she hears me getting into." Santana said with a smile and new appreciation for the blonde girl. Quinn returned that smile as her grams appeared on the porch. _

_"I see you've met the resident trouble makers huh Quinn?" Betty asked with a chuckle from her place on the stairs. Santana laughed. Quinn made her way over to her grams on the stairs and handed her the sodas then skipped back over to Santana. _

_"Aw Ms. Fabray we aren't trouble makers we're just adventure seekers." Santana spoke up and that had Betty laughing. _

_"If that's what you're calling it now days. I don't want you getting my Quinnie Bear into trouble." Betty warned playfully. Quinn turned beet red at the nickname her grams had adopted for her and that had both Santana and Puck in giggles._

_"Grams!" Quinn complained, not wanting that particular nickname to stick to her with her new friends. Betty waved her off._

_"We won't get her into trouble. Promise. Scouts honor." Puck piped up and Santana bumped his shoulder at him being such a girl._

_"I wouldn't trust you as far as I could throw you Noah Puckerman." Betty intoned with a chuckle which earned her a playful scowl from Puck. _

_"You kids want to stay for lunch?" Betty asked and they both shook their heads._

_"No can do Ms. Fabray. My abuela wants me to water the flowers as soon as I get back. She said if I can't take care of them, what's the point of me planting them? She says its my duty to Mother Nature or something." Santana told her with an eye roll. _

_"Gotta babysit. Mom's got a double shift. Lunch and dinner hour." Puck supplied and Betty shook her head._

_"Alright well you guys try not to get into any more trouble than you usually do and say hi to your abuela for me Santana." Betty replied and they both shook their heads._

_"Will do." Santana agreed. As Betty headed back in the house, Santana turned back to Quinn._

_"So we better get going. Pucks mom gets her panties in a twist when he's late." Santana accused laughing and Puck punched her in the arm playfully._

_"She does not! I can do whatever I want!" He protested and Santana scoffed._

_"Sure you can." Santana mocked before turning to Quinn and mouthing that he couldn't. Quinn giggled and Puck only glared at Santana harder. _

_"Anyways mi abuela will make me wash all the windows in the house if I am and if I'm gonna beat your butt in Super Mario like always, I can't be doing that junk all day." Santana explained with a pointed look at Puck who simply rolled his eyes at her but didn't deny that she always beat him in Mario. It was true. She did. _

_"So it was cool meeting you Quinn." Santana said turning back towards Quinn with a bright smile that was immediately returned by the blonde._

_"Yeah goody two shoes Fabray." Puck added in with a chuckle to which he received a glare._

_"Shut up Squirrel head." Quinn snarked at him causing Santana to laugh but punch him in the arm just before pointing at him warningly._

_"Geeze I was only kidding!" Puck exclaimed before mumbling a 'girls…' under his breath and shaking his head._

_"Don't listen to this dope. Anyways don't be a stranger alright. It gets pretty dull hanging with this lame-o all the time. I could use another girl with some intelligence around here." Santana joked and Quinn giggled. _

_"Oh I can imagine. You must lose brain cells just talking to squirrel head huh?" Quinn sassed with a smirk and a raised eyebrow daring Puck to say anything. _

_"Hey! What's with all the animosity?" Puck protested a frown on his face._

_"Whoa careful using such big words **Noah**. You might just choke on one." Quinn replied and Santana let out a low whistle._

_"I believe that's three Quinn and zero Puck." Santana jested, high fiving Quinn. Quinn crossed her arms over her chest and looked to Puck, waiting to see if he was going to come back with anything. _

_"Whatever." Puck grumbled and Santana let out another laugh._

_"And the boy admits defeat!" Santana yelled, throwing her fist up in the air triumphantly._

_"I'm just not saying anything because I don't want to make her cry." Puck claimed in a dignified tone. _

_"Yeah. Sure." Santana piped up disbelievingly. Santana threw her arm around Pucks neck and squeezed him a bit. _

_"Calm down sweetheart. We're just ribbing you. No need to get your superman undies in a twist." Santana intoned and Puck scoffed._

_"Um excuse you; they're Batman thank you very much." Puck replied and both girls giggled._

_"Anyways…" Santana drawled out, rolling her eyes at Puck._

_"So we'll see you around Quinn." Santana said with a smile and Quinn returned it with a small wave. Puck gave her a dopey grin before the two of them headed down the road, Santana flicking Pucks ear causing him to spring into action, chasing her until they both disappeared from sight. Quinn smiled and then made her way into her grams house. It was nice and cool inside and the thought of food had her tummy rumbling again. _

_"Grams?" Quinn called out, kicking off her shoes and placing them by the front door. _

_"In the kitchen sweetheart!" Betty called back and Quinn bounced her way into the kitchen taking a seat at the table. As soon as she took her seat Betty placed a delicious looking sandwich in front of her with the ice cold soda she had gotten from the store earlier._

_"Thanks grams." Quinn said, immediately taking a bite out of her sandwich. Betty sat in the chair across from her. _

_"I'm glad you made some friends today. That way you don't have to be cooped up in this stuffy old house with me the whole summer." Betty said as the blonde continued to dig into her lunch._

_"I know me too!" Quinn replied excitedly with a bright smile, mustard staining the corner of her mouth and Betty chuckled at her enthusiasm. Quinn didn't have many friends at school. Most of the kids in her grade made it their mission to find things about the blonde that they could pick on her for; whether it be the way she looked or the way that she dressed. She was happy that Santana nor Puck seemed to care about any of that stuff. They just accepted her the way she was. They made her feel like she was good enough. Betty smiled at Quinn as she continued to eat, her legs swinging as she buzzed with happiness. Quinn just knew in her gut that it was going to be a really good summer._

_**AN: Well that's the first chapter. Hoped you guys liked it. This story is a work in progress but I already know what I want to happen with it so stick along for the ride. Each chapter will be alternating between flashbacks when Quinn and Santana were younger to the present day life of Quinn and eventually introduce Santana in later chapters. Just so you won't get confused I always let you know when the date is changed lol. Hopefully it wont disappoint ya'll. Remember reviews are greatly appreciated. P.S. if any of you were reading If I Lost Myself it was taken down, if you didn't realize that by now, and my old computer that the story was on blew out and I stupidly didn't back it up so as of now that story is no more. Hopefully the guy extracting the stuff I had on the old computer can be saved and I can re-upload. Thanks!**_


	2. Deception

_**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**_

**New York City, Present Day 2013**

The house was still as Quinn sat at the dining room table, head in her hands. She couldn't believe this was happening. She had been having this sinking feeling for months now but she didn't want to believe it. She didn't want it to be true but her grams had always told her 'go with your gut feeling' and that _feeling_ had been there all along. Finn had volunteered to pick up dinner from their favorite take away place after he got in from work and when Quinn went to call him to remind him to pick up some wine as well she had realized he had left his phone. She chuckled to herself as she went to silence it because that was just like her husband, always forgetting things like the dope he was but soon that chuckle died in her throat because there wasn't anything funny about the messages she stumbled upon.

No she wasn't snooping. That wasn't the kind of woman Quinn was. She trusted Finn and now she was starting to think that was her mistake. Once she read the first message, she couldn't stop herself and soon she was absolutely sick to her stomach, that feeling of betrayal smothering her. He was cheating on her with another woman right under her nose. Quinn knew that things were rocky for the two of them after they lost the baby but she was beginning to think they were making progress. She really thought that the two hours they spent in therapy twice a week were starting to pay off but now she couldn't have been more wrong.

Quinn thought she really should have seen this coming though because as much as she liked to lie to herself, she knew this was a marriage of convenience. They accidently got pregnant and because her mother couldn't even begin to think about the shame this would bring upon the sacred Fabray name, she let her pressure her into a marriage she wasn't quite ready for yet. Yes she loved Finn, he had become her best friend, but she wasn't ready to give her life over to someone else. But he was the picture perfect man her mother wanted for her. He was her safety net. With him, there was no real risk. So she agreed to five years of marriage only to get duped in the end.

Quinn let out a frustrated sigh and ran her hand across her forehead. The endless questions were running through her mind now. _How long has this been going on? Has she ever been to the house before? In their bed?_ She couldn't stop the plague that was now assaulting her brain. She hated Finn for making her feel this way. She gave him her everything and stuck by him through thick and thin. She thought he at least loved and respected her enough to never do this. Or at least have the balls to leave her. She knew he didn't though. And it was in that moment that Quinn made up her mind. She would be the one to do it then.

"Hey hon, they didn't have the chicken in red curry sauce that you like so I got the one in yellow!" Finn yelled out as he made his way towards the dinning room, the faint sound of him kicking off his shoes being heard.

"I hope that's alright…" Finn stopped in his tracks as he saw Quinn sitting at the table, eyes red rimmed and her make up slightly running. Finn placed the take away bags on the table, along with a bottle of red wine.

"Quinn, what's wrong?" He asked as he sifted through the bags. Quinn shook her head as she looked at him which earned her a frown from him. She couldn't believe he could do this to her and act as if nothing was going on; like he wasn't actively betraying her trust as they spoke.

"Did you have another fight with your mom? Remember what we talked about; just tell her she's right and she'll eventually leave you alone." Finn chuckled as he started placing food on the table, oblivious to the silent anger coming off of Quinn in waves.

"Um no actually I went to call you to remind you to pick up some wine for dinner and you'll never guess what I found." Quinn retorted, holding up Finn's phone so he would know just what she was talking about. There was a moment of panic that flashed across his face but he schooled his features.

"What are you talking about sweetie?" Finn asked, playing the dumb card and that just made Quinn even angrier.

"Don't play stupid Finn! I know you're good at it but don't. I saw the messages!" Quinn snapped, rising from her seat and shoving the taller man. He stumbled back a few paces, a bewildered look on his face at her actions. In all their years of marriage he had never seen the blonde so angry. Especially angry enough to shove him. Quinn slammed his phone on the table next to her and guessing he could see no way out of this, that he had been caught, Finn sighed.

"You were going through my stuff? Jesus Quinn…" Finn remarked as he ran a hand across the light stubble on his face. Quinn let out a humorless laugh.

"Going through your-I cannot believe you." Quinn uttered, pure disbelief coloring her words at the fact that the only thing he was worried about was her going through his stuff. Quinn shook her head readying herself to leave. She couldn't hear this right now. She already knew this was heading down a road where he found some way to blame this all on her.

"Quinn, will you just hold on a second?" Finn begged and that had Quinn rounding on him, a calm anger blazing in her hazel eyes that sent him back a few paces.

"How long has this been going on?" Quinn requested and the pleading look on his face had her stomach coiling in knots.

"Quinn…" Finn's voice was just above a whisper and at least he had the decency to act remorseful about the whole situation, Quinn thought.

"No. I want to know. How long have you been **fucking** someone else while being married to me?" Quinn growled and Finn winced at her tone.

"I-its, Quinn I-" Finn stuttered but wasn't giving Quinn the answer she wanted, **needed**, to hear.

"Well? You might as well tell me now; the damage has already been done." Quinn barked out and Finn stayed silent before swallowing thickly.

"A year." Finn confessed and Quinn felt like she had been punched in the stomach. She couldn't seem to take in enough air, left completely breathless by his admission.

"A year?" Quinn rasped out as hot tears spilled down her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Quinn placed her hands behind her head, hoping to catch her breath. She felt like throwing up.

"So you're telling me that while I was still completely falling apart after losing our baby, you were screwing another woman?" Quinn questioned and the dead silence that she received was her answer. She couldn't even stand to look at him anymore so she started making her way out of the dining room only to be stopped by Finn grabbing her arm when she reached the living room.

"Quinn please.." Finn begged but Quinn jerked her arm from his grasp as if his hands here on fire and shoved him back a few steps again.

"Don't. Touch me." She warned and he held his hands up in surrender.

"It was a mistake. She doesn't mean anything." Finn tried but all he received from Quinn was a scoff.

"Bullshit. A year long affair is the furthest thing from a mistake Finn. A one-time thing is a mistake. A year of fucking someone who isn't your wife is on purpose." Quinn hissed with contempt, wiping the tears from her eyes. Finn didn't fucking deserve them.

"Quinn I'm sorry. I was just lonely and you're never here. Physically or emotionally so-" Quinn held her hand up to silence him. She knew he would find a way to blame his shortcomings on her eventually.

"So because I fucking work my ass off to make a career for myself, that gives you free reign to cheat on me? Because I'm not fucking hanging off your arm or wanting to spend every waking moment with you that means you get a pass to sleep with someone else?" Quinn fired off and the only thing Finn could do was grapple for any shred of dignity he had left in this conversation but that wasn't coming any time soon. The house was silent as they stood in the tastefully decorated dining room, courtesy of Quinn's mother, at a complete stalemate with each other. They couldn't go back and Quinn definitely couldn't move forward with him so she knew there was only one choice she had; and that was to forfeit the game.

"I'm out." Quinn declared with her hands on her hips, blowing out the breath she didn't even realize she had been holding in.

"What?" Finn questioned, a deep frown marring his features.

"I said I'm out." Quinn repeated, looking Finn dead in the eye and he knew exactly what she was talking about. He knew that she was leaving him.

"Quinn don't do this…" Finn pleaded with her for the umpteenth time tonight and Quinn gave him a disbelieving look.

"Don't do this? I didn't do anything. _**You're**_ the one that violated this marriage and betrayed that trust. _**You're**_ the one that shit on our vows the moment you got into bed with another woman. _**You are the one**_ that shot this foundation that we built to hell. So don't you **dare** tell me not to _do this_ when the only reason this is happening is because of you." Quinn boomed, her hands shaking with anger.

"I've put up with this marriage for five miserable fucking years because I took to heart the words we exchanged on our wedding day. Because unlike you, I had the balls to try and work out our problems instead of jumping into bed with the first person that showed me the smallest amount of attention. But now I am done. You just gave me my out and I'm taking it." Quinn finished and with that said she continued her path to their room.

"Quinn you know I love you." Finn stated matter of factly and Quinn scoffed, turning back around to face the man she was quickly growing to despise.

"But not enough to keep it in your pants huh?" Quinn asked. She didn't wait for an answer. She was done talking to him. There wasn't anything left to figure out. Quinn was so done it wasn't even funny. She slammed the door to their room and began throwing clothes into a duffle bag. She couldn't stand the idea of staying in this house one more night with him. Quinn could hear Finn basically destroying their living room but she didn't care. He could set the whole place on fire after she left for all she cared.

Once Quinn had everything she would need for a few nights packed away in her duffle bag, she hefted it onto her shoulder and ventured back through the living room, stopping in the dining room once again. Finn was breathing hard as he sat at the table. This time he was the one with his head in his hands. Quinn pulled the glistening silver band off her finger and placed it, spinning, on the table in front of him.

"So that way you'll know it's real." Quinn assured before grabbing her keys and leaving, slamming the door on his pleas for her to come back. It was about time she paid Frannie a visit anyways.

_**AN: So that's chapter two. I hope you guys liked it and sorry for those of you that had to bare through the Fuinn shit if it's not your cup of tea lol Also there have been some concerns regarding chapters being in all italics and I'm sorry but that's the way I want it and I'm not going to change it. Anyways reviews are always great and appreciated. I'm thinking of updating every Thursday but if I get more reviews I might make it every Tuesday and Thursday…so Review lol Until chapter 3! :)**_


	3. Picking Up the Pieces

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing…only the computer I'm writing this from.**_

"Jesus Christ…" Frannie let out, in pure disbelief as her and Quinn sat at her kitchen table. She couldn't believe what she was hearing from her baby sister. Quinn had told her everything. Literally spilled her guts the moment Frannie's face registered the surprise at Quinn appearing on her doorstep. They talked on the phone a lot but Quinn hadn't actually been around to visit for a while. They were both busy women and made the time when they could but lately time had been slipping from the both of them.

"Yeah…" Quinn sighed dejectedly. She was emotionally drained. She definitely was not expecting her day to turn out like this; where she would be grappling to sort out the pieces of her life at her sister's kitchen table.

"So what are you going to do?" Frannie asked and once again a sigh was escaping Quinn.

"I don't know…" Quinn replied honestly because she didn't have a clue what she was going to do. She knew she couldn't stay with Finn anymore. She would never be able to trust him after this and just the thought of constantly having to wonder if he was cheating on her again was not a way she wanted to live her life. Quinn thought maybe she could look past it if it was just a one time thing. She thought maybe they could have worked through it if it was just once and even that made her feel like a fool but a year? A whole year? She couldn't just look past that. They couldn't possibly work something like that out. Quinn no longer had the energy to work things out with Finn anymore.

"Well you aren't going to stay with him right? You're better than that Quinn…" Frannie declared giving Quinn a pointed look to which Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm not. Do I look like our mother?" Quinn asked, frustration coloring her tone.

"Well yeah. You kind of have her nose." Frannie chuckled and Quinn cracked a small smile. Frannie then rose from her seat, venturing over to the pantry and from the top shelf pulling a bottle of tequila down along with two shot glasses. She placed them in the center of the table with a smirk.

"Now this looks more like our mother." Frannie jested, twisting the top off the bottle and pouring a healthy amount into both glasses. Quinn was able to give her a small laugh. She appreciated her sister trying to lift her spirits.

"Alright on three." Frannie reminded and after counting off, the two blondes slammed back the shots. The alcohol burned a delicious path down Quinn's throat to settle warmly in the pit of her stomach. Frannie let out a small hoot and poured them another shot.

"I don't have work tomorrow and the girls are at summer camp for three weeks." Frannie explained as she knocked back another shot and Quinn followed suit.

"You sent my nieces away for the summer?" Quinn asked with a playful pout and Frannie laughed.

"Mhmm. Mama needed a break. They were driving John and me insane." Frannie supplied pouring them both another shot. Quinn gave Frannie a sad smile and Frannie reached across the table to squeeze her hand. They didn't talk about it anymore, her losing the baby, it was hard on the both of them and even though Quinn had spent her share of months in therapy over it, she still preferred not to talk about it. That had been Frannie's nephew and it was a hard pill to swallow when she got the news but she couldn't even imagine what it was like for Quinn. If something were to ever happen to Summer or Anna, Frannie knew she would be absolutely devastated. Both of the blondes sighed simultaneously and that caused them to laugh.

"Where is John anyways?" Quinn asked as she spun her shot glass, careful not to spill any of the tequila from it. She could see the slight difference in coloration on her finger from where her wedding band had been and let out a small sigh.

"He has a conference for work over in Chicago this whole week. So it's just me." Frannie replied and Quinn nodded her head. Frannie could tell that all this talk about kids and husbands was taking its toll on the younger blonde so she clapped her hands together in finality.

"Ok none of this. We are gonna finish these shots and then make margaritas while we listen to some records and get piss drunk. No pity party because today you start a new chapter in your book." Frannie declared and even though it was cheesy, Quinn really appreciated the sentiment. So after downing that last shot, they got the margaritas blending and the music blasting through the house. They drank margarita after margarita, dancing around Frannie's place and laughing together, Frannie needing a break from her hectic life and Quinn trying desperately to forget hers was falling apart.

By the time the both of them had had more than enough to drink, they were tumbling onto Frannie's living room couch in a fit of giggles. Frannie had the clever idea that she was skilled enough to shot gun a spare can of beer her husband had left in the refrigerator and ended up spraying it all over the hardwood floors of the living room and nearly drowning herself.

"You suck at that Frannie." Quinn slurred through a round of laughs and Frannie scoffed.

"What are you talking about? That was perfect exe-exe-execution!" Frannie protested and sent both blondes into another bout of laughs. Once the spills of laughter died down Quinn sighed. Frannie stood and ungracefully stumbled to the record player to turn the music off. The house was silent and just like the flick of a switch, Quinn was now crying. Quinn was never the weepy drunk. From experience Frannie had always known her as the angry drunk so if anything she would have expected the younger blonde would have called Finn every name but a child of god and she wasn't. She was crying and crying hard at that.

Frannie hated seeing her like this. She was going to castrate Finn if she ever saw him again. She pulled Quinn into her and that only made her cry harder. Frannie sighed. She didn't know what to say or if there **was** anything she could say to make this hurt any less so she kept quiet and just rubbed Quinn's back, hoping it would somehow soothe her. Soon the sobs that ripped through Quinn turned to quiet sniffles and Frannie pulled away from her.

"You're gonna be fine. Alright?" Frannie declared wiping a few tears from Quinn's face.

"But what if I'm not?" Quinn asked, new tears forming in her eyes and spilling over. Frannie could see the slight panic in her green eyes but she gave her a soft smile anyways.

"You will be Quinn. You are one of the strongest people I know. You will bounce back from this." Frannie assured and gave Quinn another tight hug. Frannie gave Quinn one last squeeze before she pulled away from her.

"Let's get you to bed okay?" Quinn gave Frannie a watery smile and nodded her head. Both blondes then stumbled their way through the house, stopping at the guest room to drop Quinn off.

"There should be fresh towels in the bathroom if you need them." Frannie told her, leaving Quinn in the threshold and venturing down the hall to her own room.

"Frannie?" Quinn called out, a slight quiver in her voice.

"Yeah?" Frannie called back as Quinn chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

"Can I sleep with you tonight? Just like old times?" Quinn asked giving Frannie a sheepish look and Frannie chuckled.

"You know peewee you're gonna have to start sleeping in your own bed eventually." Frannie remarked just like she did when they were younger. Quinn smiled.

"I know. I just like your bed better." Quinn replied like she would as if she were six years old again.

"Well come on then." Frannie said and Quinn followed her to her bed room, Frannie swinging her arm around the smaller blonde's neck. Once they were changed into pajamas and settled on their respective sides of the bed, Quinn spoke up.

"Fran? Do you think maybe I could stay with you for a few days? Just until I figure out what it is I'm gonna do? I really don't feel like going to moms." Quinn said and Frannie grunted.

"Do be dumb Quinnie bear. Of course you can. You can stay as long as you need or as long as it takes for my children to drive you crazy. Whichever comes first." Frannie replied groggily and Quinn let out a small laugh.

"Thanks." Quinn whispered and then heaved a sigh. She felt more tired now than she had ever felt before and soon she let sleep consume her. Quinn couldn't even begin to think of how she was going to sift through the mess that was her life. But of course, there was always tomorrow for that.

_**AN: Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated and until the next chapter! **_


	4. Authors Note

**AN: Hey guys! So I know it's been forever and that some are you are probably raging at me for not updating but I have a good reason why. So because I never learn my lesson, this story was on a different computer of mine which the power cord blew out and it doesn't have a battery so it wouldn't come on and I didn't back said story up. BUT I am trying my hardest to get it back. A friend of a friend has the computer right now and he's kind of lagging it to return my shit to me but I am not giving up on this mission to get it back. I absolutely love this story and can't just give up on it. I know it's been three months but if you guys hang in there it will be updated. **


	5. Light On my Shoulder

_July 17, 1998_

_"Goody two shoes Fabray come out and play!" Quinn heard the familiar voices calling to her from outside as she tied up her shoes. With a bright smile she ran to her window to see Santana and Puck waving at her to come outside. With an enthusiastic wave of her own, Quinn bolted from the room that was hers while she stayed at her grams and down the stairs. Betty could hear the blonde booming down the stairs and smiled as she made lunch for Frannie, who was sitting at the kitchen table. _

_"Be back later grams!" Quinn yelled as she ran through the hall but before she could reach the door, home free, Betty called her back._

_"Hold your horse's missy!" Betty said, stopping Quinn in her tracks and making her back pedal towards the kitchen. Quinn bounced in the doorway impatiently as Betty turned from cooking to catch the little girl's eyes. Betty placed her hands on her hips while Frannie smirked, thinking Quinn was surely going to be in trouble. _

_"And just where do you think you're going?" Betty asked, trying to sound stern but the smile that was threatening to break out on her face at any moment was hard to contain._

_"Is it okay if I go out with Santana and Puck?" Quinn asked and Betty tapped her finger against her chin as if she was thinking hard about the question. Frannie's smirk grew bigger at the prospect that her grams might tell the little booger no._

_"Come on grams. Please?" Quinn begged and Betty let her stew in wonder for a few more seconds before she heaved a sigh._

_"I guess." Betty conceded and Quinn let out a hoot right before she stuck her tongue out at Frannie. She had caught Frannie's eager eyes for their grams to tell her no._

_"Yeah that's real mature." Frannie commented to which Quinn mocked her exact words._

_"Brat." Frannie called and Quinn rolled her eyes._

_"Snob." Quinn threw back crossing her arms over her chest._

_"Peewee baby." Frannie retorted with another smirk on her face. She knew that Quinn absolutely hated when she called her peewee baby. Frannie didn't know exactly why but she did and soon enough the smaller blonde was stomping her foot and uncrossing her arms. _

_"Hey!" Quinn objected and Frannie laughed._

_"Alright that's enough out of the both of you." Betty chastised to which Quinn sighed. Frannie rolled her eyes at Quinn and just as she was about to go back to her cell phone, she did a double take._

_And is that my hair clip?!" I told you to stay out of my stuff!" Frannie shrilled. Quinn went wide eyed and before Frannie could scramble out of her seat fast enough to pummel her for messing in her things again, Quinn shot off like a bullet, Frannie hot on her trail._

_"Be back before it gets dark!" Betty yelled but Quinn was too busy trying to save her own life. She bounded down the front porch and just as Frannie was about to reach for her she kicked up her speed. Santana saw the blonde running towards her and had no time to protest as Quinn tugged on her arm. Santana had no choice but to run with the blonde, dragging Puck along with her so he wouldn't get left behind. _

_"You little shit!" Frannie yelled out, stopping short of their grams' front gate. She wasn't about to chase Quinn that far just to kill her. She would just do it when she got back home. Once Quinn felt she was a safe enough distance away from Frannie and her wrath, she stopped running. All three of them were gasping for air. Santana bent over and placed her hands on her knees. _

_"I think I'm gonna cough up a lung." Santana said breathlessly and Puck nodded his head, pointing at himself to signal that he was too but he was too winded to speak._

_"Piss off Frannie again?" Santana asked once she had enough oxygen to her brain to form a coherent sentence._

_"No. I might have just borrowed her favorite hair clip and she went all postal." Quinn replied as the three of them finally had their breath and began walking down the road. They laughed. Frannie could be a bit temperamental. _

_"Gotcha. Sisters can be a little psycho sometimes. Girls in general." Puck said and both Santana and Quinn made a face at him._

_"Hey, I resent that." Santana voiced, shoving Puck lightly and he laughed._

_"You're the leader of the pack!" Puck joked with a smirk and Santana narrowed her eyes at him before giving her attention to Quinn._

_"This dude's cruising for a bruising huh?" Santana retorted, jerking her thumb over her shoulder at Puck and Quinn giggled. _

_"The only crazy one here is you Puck with that rodent still attached to your head." Quinn threw back and Santana laughed._

_"Not for long though. His mommy is making him get a hair cut today. That's where we're headed right now." Santana mocked and that only had Puck glaring at her. _

_"Oh. Well should we start calling you Noah then?" Quinn quipped and Santana snapped her fingers in praise of her sass._

_"I think we should." Santana agreed, nodding her head in approval. _

_"No way! I'll still be the Puckasauras just with a lot less hair." Puck protested and both girls rolled their eyes._

_"The fact that you call yourself the Puckasauras is the lamest thing I've ever heard NO-AH." Santana remarked shoving him again and Puck only scoffed. _

_"Geeze, why do I hang out with the two of you? You're always ragging on me. I really need to start hanging out with more guys." Puck said shaking his head and only receiving an eye roll from Santana._

_"If you can't handle the heat Puckerman, then don't ignite the fire cracker." Santana finished. Both Quinn and Puck frowned amused at the brunette. There was a pregnant pause before all three of them broke out into laughter. _

_"I'm pretty sure that's not how that saying goes." Quinn interjected patting Santana on the shoulder. Santana scoffed._

_"Whatever. I was trying to be clever and make up my own saying. I don't like to follow the crowd ya know." Santana justified as Quinn playfully rolled her eyes at the brunette. _

_"Mhmm. Sure." Quinn mocked making Puck laugh and Santana stick her tongue out at the blonde. Soon enough they were stopping in front of the barber shop in town. Puck shared a nervous look between the two girls and the doors of the barber shop._

_"Don't tell me you're scared to get your hair cut by yourself?" Santana sneered and Puck gave her a wide eyed look._

_"No!" Puck objected crossing his arms over his chest._

_"Then?" Quinn questioned and Puck sighed._

_"People are gonna make fun of me for being a baldy. This hair style is badass and it's the only thing stopping those dumb kids from throwing me into the dumpster at school. That and the fact that they think I beat up Jacob last year, which I didn't! Well not on purpose!" Puck explained and while Quinn didn't go to their school, she could definitely understand what it was like being picked on. Santana put her hand on his shoulder._

_"Look Puck, no one's gonna make fun of you for being a baldy and if they so much as dare then we'll pummel them into the ground. Got it?" Santana assured and while Puck wasn't so sure they wouldn't make fun of him, he gave her a smile anyways. Quinn nodded her head in agreement. She wasn't much of a fighter but she could rib someone so hard they would cry. She was sure about that._

_"Alright. You go get your hair cut and were gonna go get a couple of milkshakes at the diner. Meet us over there when you're finished." Santana informed and Puck shook his head before going inside of the barber shop. Santana laughed. _

_"He is such a dope." Santana commented watching him disappear behind the glass doors before turning her attention back to her favorite blonde. _

_"Come on. There are two vanilla shakes with our names on them." Santana said just before swinging her arm around Quinn's neck and dragging her along. Quinn let out a giggle and happily followed the brunette, snaking her hand around the shorter girls waist. Once they got inside the cool, air conditioned diner they got their usual booth in the back. It had the perfect view of the place, especially the door in case any snot nosed kids from Puck and Santana's middle school happened to stop by._

_"What can I get you ladies?" The waitress asked and Quinn recognized her as someone that Frannie constantly hung around with in the summer._

_"We'll have two vanilla shakes please." Santana replied and the girl scribbled it down on her notepad just before scrutinizing Quinn a bit._

_"Hey you're Frannie's kid sister aren't you?" The brunette asked and Quinn shook her head._

_"I'm Jessica. I'm friends with your sister." Jessica said with a smile and Quinn returned it._

_"That's cool. Yeah I think I've seen you around before. You've always got that super cool messenger covered in bottle caps." Quinn replied and the red head shook her head._

_"Yep. That's me!" Jessica said enthusiastically. Both Quinn and Santana could tell this girl was a bit ditzy._

_"This is my friend Santana." Quinn piped up, pointing to the brunette sitting across from her._

_"Nice to meet you Santana!" The red head enthused and Santana gave her a smile and a small wave._

_"Well I'll be right back with those shakes for you two." Jessica announced before giving Santana and Quinn another smile and going to make their shakes. After she was out of sight, the two girls laughed. _

_"She's nice. Seems like a ditz though." Santana commented and Quinn just shook her head but didn't disagree with her friend. _

_"Do you think kids will really make fun of Puck for being bald? I mean its just hair." Quinn chuckled and Santana joined in with her._

_"I don't know. I hope not. There's only one person I can think of that would do that and that's Karofsky." Santana supplied and Quinn rolled her eyes at the mere mention of that cretin's name. Quinn had unfortunately met David two summers ago at the community pool the three of them frequented where he had called her stupid and pushed her in the deep end. She thanked god she could swim. _

_Puck had to literally hold Santana back from punching his lights out but he got what was coming to him because the life guard that was on duty saw the whole thing and kicked him out of the pool for the day. She, Santana and Puck laughed the whole time. Karofsky thought he was all that and could boss everyone around because his dad was the mayor of Tennessee but Quinn knew that his dad being the mayor of Tennessee wasn't anything to brag about._

_"That guy is a real jerk." Quinn snarked and Santana laughed._

_"He sure is." Santana agreed as Jessica came back with two vanilla shakes and sat them in front of the two girls on the table._

_"There you go ladies. Enjoy and just holler if you need anything else." Both Santana and Quinn thanked the ditzy red head and wasted no time in slurping their milkshakes. Quinn sighed._

_"Anyways that would suck if they did. Being made fun of sucks." Quinn stated with a slight laugh and that earned her a frown from Santana. Santana knew that look. It was the same look the blonde got that one time she thought Santana was laughing at her because she couldn't swim._

_"Do people make fun of you at school?" Santana asked taking another sip from her shake. Quinn played with her straw a bit before looking up at Santana. She had never told Santana about how most of the kids at her school made fun of her because of how she looked or how she wore her hair. She didn't like talking about it much. She had a few friends but more times than not Quinn felt like they were only friends with her because they felt sorry for her. _

_"Yeah…" Quinn admitted quietly before mimicking Santana's previous actions and taking a sip from her shake as well._

_"Why?" Santana asked genuinely confused as to why someone would make fun of her favorite blonde. She was pretty, funny and way smarter than any of those dumb girls at Santana's school. Probably at Quinn's school too. _

_"I don't know. Because of the way I look. +They just don't like me." Quinn confessed and just seeing the sad look on her face made Santana want to go to Boston and deck every person that had ever made fun of the blonde. _

_"You're the prettiest girl I've ever seen Quinn so I don't know why they would make fun of the way you look." Santana told her honestly and Quinn gave her a shy smile, red tingeing her cheeks from a blush. No one had ever told her she was pretty before besides her grams and her mom._

_"You really think so?" Quinn asked quietly and Santana gave her a smile._

_"Honest. They're probably just jealous because their faces look like those wild hyenas you see on the discovery channel chewed them off." Santana quipped and that had Quinn giggling._

_"And if they don't like you then they're obviously the dumb ones. Simple as that. Because what's not to like?" Santana asked with a toothy grin to which Quinn gave the brunette her own bright smile._

_"Thanks." Quinn replied swirling her straw around in her milkshake before taking another sip._

_"Any time." Santana relayed giving Quinn a smile of her own. _

_"And because the kids in Boston are such jerks to you, you can have my cherry. I hate the things but I know you love 'em." Santana told her just before plucking the red fruit from the top of her milkshake and placing it on Quinn's._

_"You hate the cherry? But they're the best part of the milkshake!" Quinn said in a scandalized tone and Santana laughed. _

_"No, the best part of the milkshake is the milkshake Quinn. The cherries just get in the way." Santana stated matter-of-factly and Quinn let out a tiny gasp that had Santana laughing again at the fact that the blonde seemed so aghast._

_"Fine. We'll agree to disagree." Quinn compromised flicking her straw wrapper at the brunette. Just then Puck slid into the booth next to Santana, his head balder than a baby's bare ass. The table was dead silent between the three of them. He looked between the two of them, holding his breath for what they would say. Both Santana and Quinn scrutinized the boy, turning their heads to look at him from different angles and scrunching up their faces in speculation. Finally, it was Santana that broke the silence._

_"It looks good." Santana decided as she reached over to rub his freshly shaved head and Quinn shook her head agreeing with the brunette. _

_"You look handsome Noah." Quinn quipped as she batted her eyelashes mockingly at him, making Puck blush and Santana laugh. _

_"Thanks." Puck mumbled looking everywhere but at the two girls and that caused them to both giggle._

_"Hey Jessica!" Santana called out as she saw the red head passing their table. The girl bounced over to them._

_"What can I do you for…Santana was it?" Jessica asked and Santana shook her head. _

_"Yup Santana and this is Noah-" Santana was cut off quickly by Puck._

_"Puck." The boy corrected giving the older girl a smirk. Santana rolled her eyes as Jessica looked down on him with amusement written all over her face._

_"Yeah. And this idiot would like a vanilla shake as well." Santana remarked causing Puck's face to color with embarrassment._

_"Alright another vanilla shake coming right up for…Puck." Jessica relayed with a laugh as she scribbled it down and then made her way back to get Noah's shake._

_"Dude!" Puck exclaimed giving Santana a glare and bumping her shoulder._

_"Oh shut up. You don't stand a chance with her. She's like three times your age. Plus you're puny. You would have more of a chance with Quinn than her." Santana chastised while rolling her eyes. Quinn's head snapped up from drinking her milkshake at the mention of her name._

_"Ew. Uh no way." Quinn replied with a scowl on her face and Santana laughed._

_"Hey!" Puck protested which earned him an eye roll from Quinn and Santana only shrugged her shoulders. _

_"What, you do smell. Girls got a point. And just the other day I saw you scratch your butt and then sniff your hand. That's something foul man." Santana commented and Puck smirked. He then dropped his hand down the front of his shorts, bringing it back out and reaching to touch Santana's face. _

_"I swear to god Noah Puckerman if you touch me with that hand, I will cut it off. And you know I'm not bluffing." Santana warned to which Puck laughed and backed off. _

_"Go wash your hands you sicko!" Quinn admonished and Puck scoffed but rose from his seat to go wash his hands._

_"Boys…" Quinn shook her head and Santana mimicked her motions. _

_"Can't understand why anyone would want to date them." Santana wondered. Quinn giggled and wondered the same thing too. A beat later, Jessica ventured back over to their table and placed Puck's milkshake on it and soon enough the boy was sliding back into the booth next to Santana. It was then that the most brilliant idea ever popped into the brunette's head. An idea she knew Puck would have too much pride to back down from and one that would give her a good laugh for the day. _

_"I dare you to chug that whole milkshake without stopping. For that waitress's honor or something." Santana dared with a smirk. Quinn laughed while Puck mulled the idea over in his head. _

_"Whatcha gonna give me for it?" Puck asked with his eyebrows raised. He wasn't just going to do something like that for nothing._

_"If you chug that whole thing without stopping, even if you get a brain freeze, I'll give you my limited edition Sammy Sosa baseball card." Santana agreed and if she was being honest it wasn't all that big of a deal. Puck had been lusting after that card since they were ten when her abuelo had given it to her. Santana had lost a little respect for Sammy Sosa ever since he lost 66 home runs to Mark McGwire's 70 in the 1998 homerun race. It was a shame. But she couldn't deny he was a quality player because not every one was good enough to get signed with the Texas Rangers at the age of fourteen as a free agent. _

_"Make it your Babe Ruth hologram and you've got yourself a deal." Puck tried to haggle and Santana scoffed._

_"Hell no! What, you think I'm dense Puckerman? You better be jumping off hangman's bridge butt ass naked if you __**ever**__ think you're coming close to getting that card. It's gonna be worth a fortune some day!" Santana exclaimed and Puck gave her a sheepish grin. Not only was it a hologram Babe Ruth card, but she won it fair and square from that Sasquatch Karofsky from a dare that she would hit three straight home runs in a street game of baseball which made that card all the more worth it. Quinn didn't know much about baseball, hell she didn't know anything, but she guessed him chugging a milk shake without stopping wasn't worthy enough of the Babe. _

_"It was worth a shot." Puck replied shrugging his shoulders._

_"Now stop stalling and chug." Santana countered. At that Puck rubbed his hands together and then grabbed the glass. He plucked the cherry out real quick, dropping it in Quinn's glass before going to town on his shake. Both girls hooted and hollered as he gulped down the blended ice cream goodness. Santana didn't think he could pull it off and this was coming from experience. Once you get half way in, Santana found out, the brain freeze is almost too much to bear. Puck kept pushing through though and Santana thought he must really want that card. Soon enough the glass was empty and Puck slammed it on the table. He had this pained expression on his face._

_"Brain Freeze." Puck groaned as his head thunked against the table. Santana knew it was one of those bad ones too. The kind that made your back hurt because it was so strong. Santana patted him on the back._

_"I'm impressed Noah. I didn't think you had it in you." Santana congratulated and Quinn laughed._

_"If you press your thumb to the roof of your mouth for 30 seconds, it'll go away a lot quicker." Quinn piped up. _

_"Really?" Santana asked surprised and Quinn nodded her head. _

_"Mhmm try it Puck." So Puck did just that and in the thirty seconds it took him to do it as opposed to the minutes it took to get over a massive brain freeze like that, it was gone._

_"Hey it does work!" Puck exclaimed a sort of excitement on his face at a new fascinating trick and Quinn chuckled. _

_"Yeah. The reason we get brain freezes is because the cold causes the blood vessels in our palate to constrict which is that numbing pain in your head. Putting your thumb to the roof of your mouth warms it up and gets the blood vessels circulating again." Quinn finished and both Santana and Puck rolled their eyes at her with a smile. _

_"Smarty pants." Puck replied playfully and Quinn rolled her eyes but still had a smile on her face as well._

_"Shut up Noah. You're just jealous you don't know cool stuff like that." Santana came back with. Both girls knew that Puck didn't mean anything by it, that he wasn't seriously picking on Quinn like Santana was sure those kids at Quinn's school were when they called her that, but she gave the blonde a reassuring smile anyways. _

_"Whatever." Puck finished, flicking his straw paper at Quinn with a dopey grin and missing her altogether. They were all finished with their milkshakes and way too full to order another round so they combined their change on the table and counted it._

_"We're short twenty five cents." Quinn voiced and all three of them began patting down their pockets for hidden change when Jessica came back over to collect their glasses. _

_"Can I get you guys anything else?" Jessica asked and all three of them shook their heads. _

_"No but we are short twenty five cents." Santana said and Jessica waved her off._

_"Don't worry about it. I got you guys." Jessica said collecting the bundle of bills and change the three had put on the table._

_"Thanks!" Puck said and Jessica nodded her head. _

_"No problem. See you kids around." Jessica finished, leaving their table. _

_"I think I'm in love." Puck sighed as he watched her walk away with a dreamy look on his face and the only thing he got from Santana was a slap to the back of his newly bald head._

_"Get ehtta the booth!" Santana yelled in a fake Italian accent that had Quinn laughing and Puck sliding from his seat and out of their booth. Santana slung her arm around Puck's neck and squeezed. _

_"You gotta give up hope now dude because it's never gonna happen." Santana declared with a laugh before pushing Puck away and opening the door to the diner. It was 20 degrees hotter outside and Santana fanned herself._

_"Jesus it's hotter than the devils butthole out here." Puck complained and Santana laughed._

_"Good one Puckerman." Santana praised and Quinn couldn't help but roll her eyes at their crude humor. Puck sighed._

_"Well I have to go. I'm on babysitting duty." Puck explained and Santana grimaced. _

_"That's rough. Third time this week." Santana commented and Puck nodded his head._

_"I know. Hannah is driving me insane. She always wants me to play dolls and dress up with her. It's not cool. Little sisters I tell ya." Puck whined and Santana couldn't help but laugh at the image she got of Puck in one of Hannah's pink dresses._

_"Nora Puckerman." Quinn quipped and that earned her a high five from the brunette._

_"That's real nice Quinn." Puck replied sarcastically._

_"Anyways, I'll stop by later on to pick up that card. Don't try and go back on our deal Santana." Puck warned and Santana waved him off._

_"Don't worry, the card is yours Nora. Don't get your thong in a bunch."Santana teased, earning her a playful shove from the boy. _

_"Alright then, I'll catch you sissies later." Puck said before making his way in the opposite direction. _

_"The only sissy in this group is you __**Nora**__!" Santana shouted after him but he only waved her off. Quinn laughed at her two friends and then sighed. _

_"Walk me home?" Quinn asked with a bright smile on her face and Santana returned it. _

_"Why of course my lady." Santana replied before sticking out her hand. The blonde quickly grabbed a hold of it and the two made their way down the road. Quinn didn't know why her stomach suddenly flipped at the touch of Santana's hand. And she definitely couldn't tell you why it felt all tingly in the brunettes grasp either. Or why, for one small second, when Santana turned and smiled at her, her head went all fuzzy. But it did and she sort of liked it._

_**AN: Guys we are motherfucking back in business! GAHHHH I am so excited I got my precious baby back! Anyways I hope I still have some readers out there lol So like I said last time I will post every Tuesday and Thursday and I hope you guys enjoy! Reviews are always welcomed! **___


	6. The Morning After

**New York City, Present Day 2013**

Quinn groaned as the pounding in her head was relentless. The sun coming in through the curtain was absolutely too bright and her body felt like dead weight. She vowed to never drink that much again. Quinn kept her eyes closed as she tried desperately to control the urge to throw up and the urge to rush and brush her teeth because her mouth tasted like ass. Quinn smacked her mouth a few times but after realizing it jarred her brain too much, she pulled the covers over her head and sighed. She laid there in bed a few more minutes, recuperating, before stumbling ungracefully to the bathroom to take a shower.

As the hot water ran over her tense muscles, Quinn couldn't help but recount everything that had happened in the last few hours. Her husband of five years has been cheating on her for a fifth of their marriage. Just thinking about it made Quinn sick to her stomach. She gave that man everything, gave up pieces of herself to make him happy and this is how he repaid her. By humiliating her and destroying everything they worked for. Quinn sighed as her eyes stung with unshed tears. She wasn't going to cry again. If this is how Finn wanted things, then so be it. Once Quinn was done with her shower and dressed, she made her way into Frannie's kitchen and took a seat at the breakfast bar.

"Morning!" Frannie exclaimed as she flipped pancakes at the stove. Quinn let her head fall to the counter and groaned.

"Why?" Quinn's mumbled whine rang out and Frannie laughed before setting a glass of water and a bottle of pills in front of her sister. Quinn's motions were sluggish, so as not to make her headache worse, but eventually she was swallowing the pain relievers and waiting for the sweet soothing of her headache to come along.

"Rough night?" Frannie asked and Quinn flipped her off. Frannie had found out early in her youth that she couldn't get hang over's no matter how much she drank and Quinn despised her for that. It was a sweet reward for all that she put her liver through. Frannie placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of the younger blonde to make up for the jest.

"Coffee. Black. Drink up." Frannie advised and Quinn cradled the mug as if it was gold, enjoying the way the coffee went down smoothly. Caffeine was exactly what she needed.

"You want some breakfast?" Frannie asked, pointing at the pancakes she was in the process of flipping and the bacon that was sizzling in a pan next to it. Quinn's mouth watered at the sight of bacon but she knew if she ate it was just going to come back up.

"Not unless you want a front row seat to me impersonating Linda Blair." Quinn remarked and Frannie gave her a disgusted face. Quinn shrugged her shoulders and continued to sip at the liquid gold that was her coffee. Frannie cut off the stove and piled her plate before taking the seat across from Quinn. They sat in a comfortable silence as Frannie ate and Quinn sipped her coffee before Quinn decided to break it.

"So what are your plans for today?" Quinn asked as she blew on her coffee before taking another sip of it. Frannie swallowed the piece of pancake she had just stuffed in her mouth before speaking up.

"I actually have to go into the office today and sign some paper work to submit a campaign proposal. We're trying to get Calvin Klein on board so we're gonna have to come up with something clever to get them interested." Frannie said and Quinn nodded her head. Frannie worked for Spiked, an advertisement company in the heart of Manhattan, as chief brand officer overseeing marketing and design.

"Even when I have the day off I don't have the day off." Frannie declared and Quinn chuckled. Frannie could only look at the sweet satisfaction of closing the deal and overtime pay as a reward for her job stealing her days off.

"What about you?" Frannie asked spearing a fluffy piece of pancake and Quinn let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure. I'll probably call Shelia and tell her I'm not coming in today. She wanted me to hear the demo of this new indie band that's interested in getting signed but I don't feel like it today. That's the beauty of being your own boss." Quinn remarked with a chuckle and Frannie rolled her eyes playfully.

"Lucky bitch." Frannie jested and Quinn shrugged. After graduating cum laude with a degree in business administration and a minor in music from NYU, Quinn decided she would use her knowledge to open her own record company. She wanted to special in signing talent that was far from the mainstream; the type of artists that had a unique sound but were interested in making music because it was their passion and not just for the money.

Just to get an idea of how the label world worked, Quinn did a two year internship with Warner Music Group in Los Angeles where she was shown the ropes and inner workings of what it would take to run her own record company before coming back to New York. Within the year she had gotten a loan approval from the bank for a space in Chelsea and revamped the use to be warehouse into what is now Trinity Records.

"Do you think you'll be hearing from mom soon?" Frannie asked with a smirk and Quinn rolled her eyes. God, she was not ready to have that conversation with her mother any time soon.

"I figure it's only a matter of time before I do." Quinn replied and Frannie nodded her head because she knew it was true. Judy Fabray would find out, because she probably already had tabs on the progress of Quinn's marriage, and have Quinn's cell phone ringing off the hook with question of what happened by the afternoon.

"How do you think she'll take it?" Frannie questioned as bit off another bite of her bacon. Quinn scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Probably worse than I did. Then she'll probably try to convince me to forgive him and work it out and then I'll probably end up hanging up on her." Quinn said honestly. Frannie laughed at Quinn's prediction of that particular conversation because she was pretty sure that's exactly how it would turn out.

"Well whatever she tries to convince you of, don't listen to her unless you feel like it's the right advice. Just do what you really need to do and for yourself Quinn. For once." Frannie advised as decided she was done with her breakfast and rose to put the plate in the sink. Quinn let out a sigh and couldn't control the roll of her eyes as Frannie leaned against the kitchen counter. She already knew where this conversation was going. She and the older blonde had rehearsed it time and time again. Frannie loved their mother but the way she easily manipulated Quinn in to doing whatever she wanted was something she really hated. And she hated even more than Quinn let her. Even if it went against everything she believed in.

"You really have to stop letting her do that to you. I know you love her and you want to make her happy and proud of you but if you keep letting her influence your choices; things you know you damn well don't want to do, _you're_ never going to be happy Quinn. You've always traded your happiness in for hers and that's not right." Frannie declared to which Quinn clenched her jaw and took another sip from her coffee. She was tired of having this conversation with her sister.

"I know this Frannie." Quinn intoned to which Frannie shook her head, pushing off the counter. Quinn knew this but she couldn't stop herself. She had been vying for her mother's as well as everyone else's approval and validation for all that she's done since she was fifteen years old.

"Alright well I have to go take a shower and get ready but if you feel like it you should meet me in Times Square for lunch. We can do some retail therapy if you want." Frannie remarked and Quinn nodded her head.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea." Quinn confirmed. Frannie gave her a smile and ruffled her blonde hair like she would if they were kids. Quinn smacked the older blondes hand away playfully and went back to finishing her coffee. Soon Frannie was heading out to work and Quinn was left in that huge empty house with nothing but her thoughts. And right now, that was a dangerous equation if she wanted to keep her sanity. She channel surfed for about an hour before she couldn't stand being alone with her thoughts anymore.

So she decided she would go for a jog. Maybe it could help her sweat out this hang over and clear her head. Quinn made her way into the guest room where her duffle bag was and rifled through it until she found something suitable to run in, borrowed a pair of Frannie's trainers and was out the door but not before grabbing her phone and iPod.

Quinn always loved running the trails in Central Park. To her, the view was breathtaking and it always served to clear her head when she really needed it. But today neither the view nor the jog was doing its job of taking her mind off the shit storm that was happening in her life. That's probably because she never had to deal with navigating through the mess that came with her husband cheating on her before. Instead, she kept thinking about her failing marriage, her cheating husband, the baby that she never got to have, what her mother would think and say about the whole ordeal; no doubt ceasing to hold her tongue on the matter.

It was like a timeline sequence of the worst moments playing on a loop in her head. She couldn't stop the way her mind was constantly entertaining the thought of just going back to Finn because it would make things easier. Of course that didn't mean easier for her heart or mind. It just meant easier financially and socially. Even just thinking that made her feel weak. Quinn replayed over and over in her head the first day she had met Finn Hudson her senior year of high school. He was sweet and charming. He said all the right things to make her blush and to make her smile. He was good to her. And god she wished she would have seen through it. Maybe she could have saved herself from being burnt in the end.

Quinn kept running though, pushing herself until her lungs were heaving and her legs were burning. She just wanted to run and keep running until things were better. Until she could find some semblance of balance in her life like before. Before everything started to blow up in her face, one by one. That wasn't possible though. If she kept running then nothing would ever change. She would never get anywhere and she found that ironic; how running never got anyone anywhere metaphorically but that was its main purpose physically.

When Quinn could no longer revolt against the protests of her muscles she slowed her pace into a walk, her chest heaving and the sting of tears burning her eyes. She wouldn't cry though. She couldn't because if she let herself breakdown, she wasn't sure if she would be able to pick herself back up again. So she took a deep breath and kept walking until she was back on the busy streets of New York City. Quinn pulled out her cell phone and dialed Frannie's number.

"Hey Quinnie bear!" Frannie exclaimed and Quinn rolled her eyes at her old nickname. Her grams had given it to her when she was four and it had stuck with her since.

"Hey Frannie, I just wanted to double check with you and see where you wanted to meet for lunch?" Quinn asked, weaving through the people who were in a hurry to wherever it was they had to be. If she didn't absolutely love New York City the fact that it was always so crowded would make her hate it.

"I was thinking we could do Becco over on West 46th street? They have a pasta lunch special. I'm really close by so I'll grab us a table. That sound good?" Frannie asked.

"That sounds excellent. I'll see you in a bit." Quinn replied before letting Frannie go. She had until she reached the restaurant to compose herself. She didn't want Frannie worrying about her; she had enough on her plate. The busy streets, the commotion and the sound of music from the people busking in Time Square seemed to take some of the weight off and once she reached the restaurant, she didn't feel any better about her situation but she didn't have that overwhelming urge to cry either.

"I already ordered for us. I hope that's cool." Frannie said as Quinn took her seat and scoffed while rolling her eyes playfully.

"Ever the impatient one Fran. Sorry to keep your highness waiting." Quinn remarked giving Frannie a mock bow and roll of the hand as if she were welcoming royalty. Frannie laughed.

"No. I just know what you like so why wait if I don't have to right?" Frannie asked and Quinn waved her off.

"So what did you get me then since you know me so well?" Quinn asked with a raise of her eyebrow while crossing her arms over her chest.

"Insalata di Fichi e Arancia." Frannie answered smartly, quirking her eyebrow as well to see if she was wrong about what she ordered for the smaller blonde. Quinn's face was straight and the table was silent for a moment before she caved.

"Fine. You win but that's only because it has bacon in it. I will literally eat anything with bacon on or in it." Quinn remarked as she took a sip from her lemon water.

"That's true. So I see you went for a jog hmm? Didn't want to spend the whole day developing cabin fever?" Frannie jested as she took a sip from her tea. Quinn let out a small chuckle.

"Yeah. I just needed to clear my head you know." Quinn answered as the waiter arrived, placing their food in front of them. Quinn was actually glad that Frannie had ordered before she got there because she was starving. There was a moment of pause as the blondes ate a few bites of their food before Frannie spoke up.

"So has the dark lord tried to contact you yet?" Frannie questioned as she speared a piece of Penne pasta and ate it.

"Actually I'm not sure. My phone has been off this entire time because I knew he would try." Quinn responded as she took her phone out of the pocket of her zip up jacket and turned it on. Once it powered up she let out a low whistle.

"What is it?" Frannie asked, curiosity written all over her face.

"40 missed calls, 19 voicemails and 23 text messages. Half of those are probably from mom." Quinn quipped and Frannie cut a face at her but nodded her head in agreement. Quinn put her phone on the table and took another bit of her salad. It was surprisingly very good and the combination of goat cheese and bacon had her in food heaven.

"God this is a good salad Fran." Quinn commented as she steady stuffed her mouth and Frannie gave her a mocking head tilt.

"Told you." Frannie declared before taking another sip of her tea.

"Are you gonna listen to those?" Frannie asked pointing at Quinn's phone with her fork. Quinn sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe later. Some could be from work and while I am my own boss I can't just completely neglect my company and all. The ones that are Finn's and moms I'll just delete." Quinn stated but she was tired of talking about things with Finn so she changed the subject.

"So how was that thing you had to do with work?" Quinn asked taking another bite of her salad.

"Well we submitted our proposal and if we're lucky we should hear back from Calvin Klein in a few days saying whether we get to pitch them an idea or not for an ad design." Frannie said and Quinn nodded her head.

"Well good luck. I hope you get it." Quinn replied sincerely, sending Frannie a smile.

"Thanks and yeah I do too. It would boost our company image up a few notches. I'm not saying that we aren't a successfully reputable company already but you know a little more good publicity definitely doesn't hurt at all." Frannie declared with a shrug and Quinn understood that completely.

"I'm sure you'll get it and you'll do a fabulous job with the ad design. They would be fools to turn you down." Quinn finished with a wink to which Frannie rolled her eyes playfully.

"Thanks." Frannie replied with a smile and they continued to eat their lunch, talking about anything and everything that came to mind; except the giant elephant in the room of course. Soon both girls were done with lunch and after spending about five minutes over who was paying for the check they decided to go Dutch.

"So you ready to get our shop on? Retail therapy is really all a girl needs. Why spend so much for a shrink when you can spend that on heels and clothes right?" Frannie chuckled and Quinn joined her.

"God. What? Did you just descend from an episode of Sex in the City?" Quinn asked and Frannie just shook her head.

"No but it's true. And do not talk crap about Sex in the City. It's like my bible okay? I live by Carrie Bradshaw's teachings." Frannie declared to which Quinn raised her hands in mock surrender.

"So where should we start hmm?" Frannie asked and Quinn let out a sigh.

"Thanks for the offer Fran and I know I said it was a good idea but I should really see what's going on with work and check these damn messages. I'm just not feeling up to it today." Quinn relayed and Frannie let out a gasp.

"Quinn Fabray is not up to shopping?" Frannie questioned with a smile before pulling out her phone and dialing. Quinn let out a chuckle but frowned at who Frannie could possibly be calling.

"What are you doing?" Quinn asked.

"Calling Satan to see if it's snowing in hell." Frannie joked and received a playfully shove from the younger blonde.

"You would have Satan on speed dial." Quinn replied with a smirk.

"You know it." Frannie snipped back with a smirk of her own.

"Well alright then but like don't stay cooped up all day okay. Go out, pretend you're a tourist, have a drink with some friends." Frannie advised pulling her bag up higher on her shoulder.

"Frannie it's like one o'clock. That is too early to be drinking." Quinn said laughing.

"Not according to our mother. I believe the frowned upon time is before twelve anyways. Plus, it's night somewhere in the world." Frannie replied shrugging with a chuckle.

"Anyways I'm off before the sales get too crowded and I have to fight off stuffed up old bitties with my bag for the good stuff." Frannie said to which Quinn laughed. Frannie gave Quinn a hug before hailing a cab and disappearing down the crowded New York City street. Quinn let out a sigh and began her trek back to Frannie's. Maybe this time she wouldn't feel so swallowed up by her thoughts when she was alone. It was really all she could hope for.


	7. Ok So Here's What Happened

When Quinn made it back to Frannie's brown stone in Midtown she realized she didn't have a key to get back in and that she had locked the door. After a few minutes of searching every ideal key hiding spot, Quinn found a spare hidden in a flower pot and let herself back in. She was tired and it was beginning to get hot so she turned on the AC then flopped down on the couch. Quinn really didn't want to check those messages. She knew most of them would be pleas from Finn asking to talk or stating how they could work it out and the rest would be from her mother either calling to fuss at her over something or with the news that she had found out. Neither of those were appealing to listen to in Quinn's opinion so she turned on the television. She would rather have a front row seat to the drama that was happening on Jerry Springer than to the drama that was unfolding in her own life.

After a very entertaining episode of Jerry Springer about cross dressing and an hour of channel surfing, Quinn was completely bored out of her mind. She clicked off the TV and blew out her breath while staring at the ceiling. Now she really had no reason not to go into the office so she pushed herself off the couch and went to take another shower. If she hadn't felt disgusting from her run she would have skipped it but she felt sticky.

After washing the grime off from her run and getting ready, Quinn grabbed her messenger bag and headed out the door; this time remembering to pocket Frannie's spare key. She hopped on the 1 that had her in Chelsea in no time and walking into Trinity Records. The place wasn't massive at all; it was a cozy place and exquisitely designed to make the artists feel at home.

"Well, well, well the queen has arrived." Sheila joked and Quinn laughed as she followed her to her office. Sheila was Quinn's right hand man and second in command when she wasn't in the office. She was a hard worker and half of the time if it wasn't for her, Quinn would probably lose her mind. Quinn tossed her bag down and took a seat on her desk.

"So what do you have for me?" Quinn asked as she eyed the stack of papers in the brunette's hand.

"Well I have the revised contracts back from legal for Shine that you asked for clearly stating that after a two year mark they can either continue to stay signed with us or that it is well within their rights to go their separate ways but that the rights to the songs will be ours two years after if they choose not to work with us anymore." Sheila said handing over the stack to Quinn so that she could look over it.

"I sent each of the band members a copy as well as their manager and assistant manager." Sheila finished with a sharp head nod and a smile.

"Thanks so much Sheila. Did you happen to get around to contacting the manager of Pushing Daisies to tell them that we need to have a meeting about their next album? It's been like six months since their first one and I really want to churn out a single soon so people don't think they've fallen off the face of the earth." Quinn asked placing the revised contract on the desk next to her.

"I did and they said they could come in sometime this week if that was convenient for us. Apparently Paul and the guys have been working on a few songs and they wanted to know if they could get studio time as well." Sheila replied and Quinn sighed. She didn't really have the energy to deal with a meeting or studio sessions this week.

"Yes we can meet and do studio time but I'm going to beg you to handle it for me? I can't be there." Quinn remarked as she mock begged Sheila and she laughed.

"Of course. That's why you pay me so much." The brunette quipped with a smile and Quinn gave a small fist pump.

"Thank you. You are a life saver." Quinn said hopping off her desk and going to sit in her comfy bean bag chair. Sheila took a seat on the couch across from her.

"What's the reason might I ask? Some vacation time with the hubby?" Sheila asked with a chuckle and Quinn had to try hard to school her features to keep from the spectrum of emotions that just washed over her from showing on her face.

"Definitely not. You know I don't do vacation time." Quinn said with a forced laugh and while Sheila wasn't just someone she worked with, she had known the girl for five years and she was basically her partner in this business, she didn't want to talk about it. Frankly, she didn't want to taint her work space with any of the bullshit happening with her right now. It was her safe haven.

"What about that demo A&R sent over for me? Who's the band again?" Quinn asked and Sheila gave an excited squeak, rising from her seat.

"Oh my god their name is Hunger and I swear these chicks have a sweet sound. I listened to the demo and fell completely in love." Sheila fangirled as she put the CD into the player. The only instruments being used was a piano, acoustic guitar and a Cajon drum but the sound of the them together, and the honey liquid of the girls' voices blending and complementing each other was enticing. They had an amazing sound and the chord progression of the guitar was unique at best but it was the lyrics that had Quinn wanting to sign these girls on the spot.

_**"I do not struggle in your web 'cause it was my aim to get caught. But daddy long legs I feel that I'm finally growing weary of waiting to be consumed by you…"**_

Once the music faded out and the song was over both Quinn and Sheila had huge smiles on their faces.

"These girls are legit fierce Quinn. If I could get them in this office today I would be begging you to sign them." Sheila said and Quinn shook her head.

"No need to beg. If you can have them come in next week, play a song or two live for us just for reassurance then we can draw up a contract and get them signed." Quinn confirmed and Sheila gave another squeak of excitement.

"Yay! I'll give them a call tomorrow and see if they're available next Wednesday?" Sheila asked and Quinn nodded her head.

"Yeah that sounds good for me." Quinn replied and Sheila nodded.

"Alright well I know you have work to do so I'll get out of your hair." Sheila said before giving Quinn a bright smile and leaving her office. Quinn lay back on her huge bean bag and blew out her breath. She was excited to sign these girls if they proved they had what it took. Quinn was a sucker for lyrical geniuses and these girls were something else. She pushed off from the bean bag and got to work on looking over contracts and going through demos before Sheila's voice was blaring over the intercom.

"Hey Quinn I'm gonna go for a coffee run did you want anything?" The brunette asked and Quinn sighed.

"Thanks for the offer but no thanks. I'm probably gonna look over a few more contracts and then head home for the night." Quinn declared as a yawn escaped her and Sheila's laugh rang out from the intercom.

"Alright boss well if you're gone before I get back, have a good week." Sheila remarked to which Quinn smiled.

"Thanks. You too." Quinn finished before clicking off the intercom and getting back to work. After looking over a few more contracts, the company's budget and listening to another demo by a band that almost made her ears bleed, Quinn glanced at the clock. It was 7:00 pm and true to her word, Quinn cleaned up her desk, packed her messenger and made the trek back to Frannie's. She was exhausted and the subway was crowded but she pulled through it; just barely managing to control the urge to smack a tween that stepped on her foot and gave her a look as if it were her fault.

Once Quinn was safe inside Frannie's brown stone away from the hectic streets of New York City, she kicked off her shoes by the door and made her way to the kitchen. She grabbed a cold water bottle from the fridge and catapulted herself up on to the island counter. Going in to work did her a little good. It was able to let her immerse herself into the music and be her hideaway from the rest of the world. It let her take a breather and that's exactly what she loved about her job; the fact that it wasn't really a job to her but a passion that she had. Finding good music, great talent and exposing the world to it. Quinn let out a sigh and then finished the last of her water before noticing the post it stuck to the refrigerator.

_Got called in to work at the last minute. Won't be home tonight so you have the place to yourself. Don't party too hard! – Frannie 3_

Quinn laughed at the note before tossing it. Frannie would leave her a post it like she was one of her kids or something instead of just texting her. Quinn was surprised she didn't say something like: _left money for pizza on the counter_. As she made her way into the living room, her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a new voicemail so she plopped down on the couch and dialed her mailbox. It informed her that she had 20 voicemails in her inbox and she pressed to listen to them all.

The newest one was from Rachel asking her where she's been and to call her back. Seventeen were from Finn asking her the same and ranting how he was sorry and messed up; the typical cheater bullshit. The last three were from her mother. The first asking how she was doing and to call her father and the other two asking if everything with her and Finn was alright because he had called concerning her whereabouts sounding worried. Quinn rolled her eyes. Of course he would call her mother of all people. After emptying her mailbox and deleting all the texts from Finn, she called Rachel back.

"Hey Rache." Quinn greeted as Rachel answered the phone with a bubbly hello.

"There you are! Geeze where have you been all my life? You've been AWOL for two days." Rachel practically screeched into the phone and Quinn let out a sigh.

"Sorry just a lot has been going on." Quinn replied not wanting to get into detail.

"Yeah seems like. Are you alright? Because Finn has been practically calling everyone you know in the city of New York asking if we've heard from you. What's going on?" Rachel asked and another sigh was escaping Quinn's lips. Guess she was going to have to go into detail whether she liked it or not. Rachel had never been one for vague details.

"How about you meet me for drinks and we can talk. I'm gonna need alcohol in my system for this." Quinn said and Rachel let out a small chuckle.

"Alright well I'm on a break from rehearsal right now but I get out at ten. If you're okay with doing drinks after that then we can surely do it." Rachel declared and Quinn let out a hum.

"That sounds good to me. I'm sure I can find something to do to occupy myself until then." Quinn said lying back on the couch.

"Cool. We can meet at Pranna over on Madison ave. I'm close by there and it's not too far from your house." Rachel said and even though Quinn wasn't at her place Pranna wasn't far from Frannie's place either.

"Okay. See you then." Quinn confirmed before they both gave a good bye and hung up. She blew out her breath, tossing her phone in her hand a bit before grabbing the remote and switching on the TV. After flipping through channels for a good twenty minutes, Quinn finally settled on a F.R.I.E.N.D.S marathon. In the middle of a scene between Rachel and Ross arguing, Quinn's phone started to ring so she looked at the caller I.D. It was Finn and she let out a sigh. She didn't want to talk to him but she knew Finn and she knew he would just keep calling her until she answered anyway.

"What do you want Finn?" Quinn answered in a frustrated sigh.

"I want you to come home Quinn so we can talk about this. I know I messed up but you have to believe me it meant nothing I just-" Quinn abruptly cut him off.

"Don't Finn. Don't try and give me that generic bullshit of how it meant nothing, how _she_ meant nothing. It's not gonna work and it'll only serve to piss me off more." Quinn barked out and there was silence on the line.

"Quinn what can I do to make this better?" Finn asked with desperation in his voice.

"There isn't anything you can do Finn." Quinn replied honestly and Finn let out a frustrated sigh.

"Actually I take that back. You can leave me alone. That's what you can do. And you can stop calling everyone I know in the state of New York and asking where I am." Quinn advised sternly. The last thing she wanted to do right now was talk to him. It only stung when she talked to him. When they talked about this. And she felt that it was only a matter of time before she was convinced to go back to him. And that made her feel weak; wanting to go back to him. It made her feel like she was settling for less than she deserved and she couldn't be okay with that.

"Quinn please…" Finn begged and it had Quinn sighing again.

"Look I just need some time okay. I need to think about things and I can't do that if you're calling me every second. Just leave me alone." Quinn remarked, exasperated with his pleading.

"Okay. If that's what you need." Finn finished.

"It is. And I'll be by the house sometime next week and I would like it if you aren't there when I do." Quinn declared tartly. She didn't want to see his face at all because it would only make her angry and disappointed all over again.

"Fine." Finn confirmed and without even giving a warning Quinn hung up her cell phone, running her hand across her forehead in frustration. Blowing out her breath Quinn glanced at the clock and it read 9:15 pm. Figuring it was a good enough gap to start making her way to the bar, she got ready. After curling her hair, tossing on a decent enough outfit and putting on a light coat of makeup, Quinn was out the door once again.

It didn't take her long to get to Pranna and even less for her to get into the lounge because she knew the door man. She got a seat at the bar, having been a little early, and ordered a vodka and cranberry on the rocks. Quinn sipped on her drink as the music floated through the bar and tried to relax because the mess she was about to unfold to Rachel wasn't the most calming.

On her second drink, which was a strawberry margarita, Rachel had finally made it to the lounge. She bounced over to Quinn and squeezed the blonde into a hug before taking the empty seat next to her. The brunette ordered a martini extra dry and then gave Quinn her full attention.

"So, how are you hmm? This whole thing has me a little nervous." Rachel chuckled as she hung her purse from the back of the chair. Quinn let out a sigh before she took another sip of her drink.

"That bad huh?" Rachel questioned as the bartender sat her martini down and she took a sip from it.

"Things could be a lot better Rachel. A whole lot better." Quinn declared as she stirred her margarita, scraping some of the salt into the glass.

"Well what's going on? Why has Finn basically been calling every name in the phone book to find you?" Rachel asked as she bit into the olive in her martini.

"He's doing that because I'm not taking his calls. And before you ask why, it's because he's been cheating on me with another woman." Quinn remarked and Rachel let out a gasp, nearly chocking on the olive she was eating.

"What?!" Rachel shouted in pure disbelief and Quinn shook her head just to confirm it again. Rachel placed a hand over Quinn's.

"That's horrible hon, I'm so sorry. I said in high school that Finn Hudson was a son of a bitch and I'll say it now." Rachel remarked shaking her head.

"Do you know how long it's been going on?" Rachel questioned and Quinn took a long sip from her margarita before speaking up.

"A year he said. I lost it Rachel. And I know he would have never told me if I didn't find out the way I did." Quinn said and the only thing Rachel could do was shake her head in disbelief.

"I can't believe him. How could he do something like this? God, he's such an idiot!" Rachel exclaimed before taking another drink from her martini.

"The thing that hurt the most was that this whole thing was going on after everything that happened with us. I felt so betrayed and humiliated. Like I was the stupid one for even thinking we could work through all that." Quinn ranted and Rachel knew exactly what she meant when Quinn said _everything that had happened. _Rachel couldn't believe Finn would be so uncaring and heartless to cheat on his wife while they were mourning the death of their baby. It was the worst betrayal. Rachel gave Quinn's hand another squeeze.

"You want me to gather up some of the musical theater majors and on our free time follow him around the city singing songs about how he's a dirty cheater for everyone to hear? You know I would do it." Rachel asked taking a sip from her drink while Quinn chuckled at the idea. It sounded marvelous.

"As entertaining as that sounds Rache, I'll pass. I just don't even want to see him, think about him, or talk to him. I told him to stop calling and leaving messages. I just want him to leave me alone." Quinn replied exasperated.

"So what are you gonna do? Are you still at the house?" Rachel inquired as she finished her martini and ordered another. Quinn sighed taking another drink from her glass.

"I don't know. I don't know if I can forgive him for this and I know I can't just go back to him but a part of me wants to. So I don't really know Rache and right now I'm staying with Frannie until I figure out something." Quinn stated and Rachel shook her head.

"I don't want this to sound like I'm judging Quinn because I'm not but why would you want to go back to him after what he did?" Rachel asked curiously and Quinn shrugged.

"Because he's all I've known since I was eighteen. I've been with him for nine years and even though what he did was horrible, we were once good together. I'm scared I won't ever find that again. It's pathetic to even admit, but I don't know how to be alone. I don't know if I can do it." Quinn admitted and Rachel sighed as Quinn took another sip of her drink. Rachel reached across and grabbed Quinn's hand again.

"I think you owe it to yourself to at least find out Quinn. To try it out before you make a set decision. I'm not saying that where you're coming from is completely misunderstood but I'm sure there is someone out there that will appreciate you enough not to cheat on you. That will love you fully and even the thought of hurting you would make them sick to their stomach. You have to think about that Quinnie." Rachel gave Quinn's hand another squeeze before drinking more of her martini. A silence settled over the two before Rachel sighed and spoke up again.

"Well I'm sure you'll figure out what you're gonna do soon. You've got a good head on your shoulders." Rachel said with a smile just before lightly tapping the blonde on the side of the head which caused her to laugh too.

"Well let's finish these drinks and do a few shots, then well hit the dance floor. Get you nice and drunk. What do you say?" Rachel said with a giggle.

"I say hell yes." Quinn replied and both girls finished their drinks, ordered a few shots of vodka and hit the dance floor. The alcohol was starting to take effect in the blonde and all she wanted to do was dance. So she moved in time to the rhythm, her body swaying back and forth with Rachel's while she tried desperately to forget all that was troubling her. With every beat of the bass and pump of her speeding heart, she tried to forget that she wasn't good enough to keep her husband faithful.

Quinn tried to forget that nothing she ever did would be good enough to make her mother proud. She tried to forget all the things she wasn't good enough to get or keep in her life. And soon enough, with all the alcohol running through her system, she **was** able to forget. Almost to the point where she could no longer stand properly on her own and had to have Rachel carry her into the back of a taxi. Once they made it back to Frannie's, Rachel helped Quinn inside and into the guest room where the blonde flopped face first on to the mattress.

"Are you going to be okay by yourself? I could stay if you want." Rachel asked, a slight slur to her own words and Quinn grunted.

"No I'll be okay…I think." Quinn remarked and Rachel was still a little skeptical. And she wasn't drunk enough not to hear the double meaning in that sentence either.

"Are you sure?" Rachel questioned again to which Quinn waved her off.

"I'm sure Rachel. Thanks for bringing me home." Quinn replied, her voice muffled and groggy by the bedspread and the oncoming of sleep.

"No problem. I'll call you tomorrow." Rachel declared before leaning down to kiss the blonde's forehead and giving her arm a squeeze. Rachel walked to the threshold and threw another cautious glance at Quinn before she made her way back to the taxi. She couldn't believe Finn would do something like that to her. Quinn didn't deserve it at all and Rachel hoped he was miserable without her.

Quinn drunkenly kicked her shoes off before she curled up in bed and pulled the covers over her. Her world was spinning, literally from the alcohol and figuratively from all that was happening in her life. She didn't want alcohol to be her coping mechanism but right now it was the only thing that numbed the pain she felt. Quinn wiped at the few tears that escaped and hugged the spare pillow to her chest, thinking one day the time would come where she would be enough. Soon the blonde's eyes were drooping, the alcohol no longer permitting her to stay awake and feel her emotions by a tenfold so she closed them and let sleep catch up to her. Some day she would be good enough to someone and _**that**_ would good enough for her too.

_**AN: So the question everyone wants answered is…Where's Santana? And the answer is she will be coming into the story soon. A couple chapters until that to be precise. I don't want to rush this and the part where she comes in is the only entrance I felt appropriate for her to come in. I get that this is a Quinntana story but we all know that in order to begin one journey, we must end another and Quinn needs to end that journey with Finn. So just hang in there. Anyways hope you liked this chapter and reviews are greatly appreciated. **_


	8. It Was Easy When You Were Younger

_June 21, 1995 _

_Quinn and Santana sat on the steps of Quinn's front porch eating popsicles and trying to stay cool from the sweltering heat. The air conditioner was busted in Quinn's grandma's house and it was cooler on the porch than it was inside. The house was nothing less than a heat box Quinn thought. _

_"So where's Puck? I usually never see you without him." Quinn asked as she licked at her cherry Popsicle and Santana shook her head._

_"I forgot to say but that numbskull decided he would try and be a big shot in front of this bigger numbskull and jump off the high rock at the lake. The dummy landed in the shallow end and ended up breaking his arm!" Santana exclaimed, rolling her eyes and Quinn looked on worried._

_"Well is he alright?" Quinn inquired as she took a bite out of her Popsicle. Santana scoffed and took a bite out of hers too. _

_"Yeah he's alright. He just had to get a cast but that totally set us back on some serious game play." Santana replied with a grumbled and Quinn couldn't help but let out a chuckle. _

_"Santana! He hurt his arm! You should be sympathetic." Quinn playfully chastised and once again Santana was rolling her eyes. _

_"It's his own fault. No one forced him to jump off the high rock. He was just trying to show off and now I have to suffer because of it." Santana grumbled with a pout and that had Quinn giggling again._

_"Well I could always play video games with you. I'm not the best at them but you just play Puck as practice right? For when a real challenge comes along?" Quinn joked implying that Puck wasn't a real challenge and only served to brush Santana up on her skills. Santana laughed._

_"You do have a point blondie." Santana said with a smile as she took another bit out of her Popsicle. Quinn finished hers and eagerly looked on the back of the stick for the joke that was always there. _

_"Ok what do you call a fake noodle?" Quinn asked, reading the question off the back of the stick. The brunette looked up at her in contemplation. Santana asked herself the question a few times, trying to think of a reasonable answer but nothing was coming to her._

_"Hmm I don't know. You've stumped me, what is it?" Santana replied giving up and Quinn read the answer to herself. She couldn't help the giggles that were escaping her and keeping her from revealing the answer._

_"Come on, what is it?" Santana questioned with a giggle of her own. Finally, Quinn was able to control her bubbles of laughter._

_"An impasta…" Quinn finally got out. The two girls stared at each other in silence for a moment before cracking up at how corny the jokes always were on the back of these Popsicle sticks._

_"Ok now read yours!" Quinn exclaimed in excitement so Santana ate the last of her Popsicle and did as she was told._

_"What did the baby corn say to the mama corn?" Santana read and looked up at Quinn expectantly to find a puzzled frown on the blondes face. After a few seconds of thinking of what the answer could be Quinn sighed. _

_"I give up, what did the baby corn say?" Quinn questioned and as Santana read the answer to herself she rolled her eyes._

_"Where's pop corn." Santana revealed and both girls chuckled._

_"Those jokes are always so lame." Santana declared as she chewed on her stick, not wanting to throw it on the ground and liter but definitely not wanting to move either. _

_"Do you know any others?" Quinn inquired and Santana tapped her chin in contemplation, trying to think of good ones to ask the blonde._

_"Oh! Okay why do seagulls fly over the sea?" Santana asked with a smirk on her face. Quinn frowned. _

_"Because that's what they're supposed to do? I don't know San I'm bad at guessing!" Quinn exclaimed with a giggle and Santana rolled her eyes playfully._

_"Because if they flew over the bay we'd have to call them bagels!" Santana howled with a laugh and Quinn followed along._

_"That one was good." Quinn said with a smile and Santana returned it shrugging._

_"One more. Why do French men only have one egg for breakfast?" Quinn asked with a grin. _

_"Because they're hairy." Santana replied with a laugh to which Quinn bumped her shoulder._

_"San, that didn't even make sense. Anyways the answer is because one egg is un oeuf." Quinn declared with a sigh. _

_"Oh. How does that make any more sense than my answer?" Santana questioned puzzled and Quinn rolled her eyes._

_"Because that's how you say an egg in French. Un oeuf sounds like enough and one is enough? Get it?" Quinn replied and Santana shook her head._

_"Gotcha. Sorry but I don't speak French Quinn. In case you didn't notice." Santana remarked and Quinn laughed._

_"Oh really? I hadn't. Here I was thinking you were a regular PePe Le Pew." Quinn answered with a chuckle and Santana stuck her tongue out at the blonde. They both sat in a comfortable silence. Quinn fiddled with her popsicles stick and Santana wiped the sweat that was starting to trickle down her brow. _

_"It's too hot." Santana groaned as she laid her head on Quinn's shoulder and Quinn laughed. _

_"I know! And my air conditioner is busted until the repair man can come on Wednesday. We're doomed." Quinn whined as she leaned her head on top of Santana's. _

_"You wanna go to the lake?" Santana asked as she lifted her head up from Quinn's sweaty shoulder. Quinn gave her a sheepish look and Santana frowned._

_"What is it?" The brunette questioned and Quinn let a slight blush color her cheeks._

_"I can't swim." Quinn admitted shifting her gaze from Santana to find interest in the pattern on her shorts. Santana let out a chuckle and Quinn snapped her head back to look at the girl, embarrassment making her face flush. That familiar feeling was starting to sink in at the fact that Santana was laughing at her. That feeling she got every time the kids from her school would laugh at her or make fun of her because she didn't do something right or they didn't like what she said or wore. _

_She had known it was only a matter of time before it happened with Santana too. She immediately felt the tears sting her eyes like they always did. Quinn didn't want to cry because she didn't want Santana to make fun of her for acting like a baby either. So she sniffed and stayed quiet to which Santana dropped a hand to her shoulder._

_"What's wrong?" Santana asked really confused at the blonde's sudden mood change. When Quinn didn't speak up the brunette shook her shoulder._

_"You're making fun of me." Quinn stated matter of factly as she wiped her nose and the frown that was already etched into Santana's features deepened._

_"No I'm not." Santana defended and Quinn turned to look at her. The dejected look on the blonde's face made Santana's stomach hurt for some reason._

_"You laughed at me when I told you I couldn't swim." Quinn replied and the frown on Santana's face softened._

_"I wasn't laughing at you because you couldn't swim. I was laughing because you seemed embarrassed about it when it isn't something to be embarrassed about. I know a lot of people who can't swim." Santana explained giving the blonde a small smile and Quinn immediately felt relieved. Santana wasn't making fun of her like everyone else seemed to enjoy doing. _

_"Oh." Quinn said as she played with her hands. Santana bumped Quinn's shoulder with her own and let out a chuckle._

_"Of course I wasn't making fun of you. I reserve all of that for Puck." Santana declared and Quinn laughed at that._

_"Okay." Quinn remarked with a smile and Santana returned it._

_"Now how about you go ask your grams if you can go to the lake. If you're afraid to get in the water you can at least stick your feet in." Santana said and Quinn nodded her head then raced up the front porch steps to ask her grams if she could go to the lake. Quinn had to do a little begging because her grams was uncomfortable with her being near the water when she couldn't swim but Quinn got her to cave eventually. Once she did, Quinn was racing back outside to meet Santana. _

_"What did she say?" Santana questioned at the pout on Quinn's face._

_"She said I can't. She thinks I might drown." Quinn lied, trying to keep the smile off her face._

_"Aw come on! She knows I won't let you drown!" Santana exclaimed indignantly and Quinn couldn't hold the smile that was starting to break out on her face. She started laughing at the adorable scowl on Santana's face. Quinn thought it made her look like an upset baby._

_"I'm just playing San. She said I could go, just that I need to be careful." Quinn said bouncing on the balls of her feet and Santana dropped the scowl that was on her face, replacing it with a smirk._

_"Wow. You actually got me blondie." Santana remarked and Quinn threw up her fist in triumph._

_"Don't get used to it." Santana declared playfully as she cut her eyes at the blonde. Quinn laughed._

_"Come on. I think the temperature is rising as we speak and the lake is calling my name." Santana announced dragging Quinn along. Quinn skipped happily beside the brunette even though the sun beating down on them was close to unbearable and made her sticky. She was happy to be with Santana. Once they reached the lake, they could tell it was completely empty. Most of the kids went to the pool if they wanted to swim but Santana liked it this empty anyway. She wouldn't have to see anyone she didn't like from her school like she would if they would have gone down to the pool. _

_Both girls stripped down to their underwear and bra and waded into the cool lake water. Santana immediately felt relieved from the heat as she swam further out but Quinn stayed where she was, the water already up to her waist. She didn't want to go too far because she didn't want to die. When Santana noticed the blonde was still near land, she called out to her. _

_"Come on blondie, you can come out a little further." Santana said with a chuckle as she waved her over but Quinn shook her head, fear coiling in her stomach._

_"Santana I can't. I don't know how to swim. I'll die." Quinn replied with slight panic in her voice and again Santana was laughing. _

_"You want me to teach you how?" Santana asked as she began to swim her way back over to Quinn and Quinn shrugged._

_"I don't know. What if I drown?" Quinn asked nervously and Santana shook her head as she waded in the water in front of the blonde._

_"I won't let you." Santana assured and Quinn looked at her skeptically. _

_"I promise I won't let you drown Quinn." Santana declared sticking up her pinky. Quinn looked at it for a moment before smiling and linking hers around the brunettes. They both then pressed their thumbs together and kissed the outer skin before they let go._

_"Alright I want you to float on your stomach and I'll hold you up." Santana advised and once again Quinn had that skeptical look on her face. _

_"Don't be a wuss Fabray." Santana admonished with a smirk that got her an eye roll from Quinn. Quinn did as she was told, though, and began to float on her stomach while the brunette held her up._

_"Now star kicking your legs up and down." Santana told her and Quinn looked back at her in confusion._

_"Kick your legs up and down. Haven't you seen like people swimming in movies or on TV?" Santana asked the blonde with a chuckle and Quinn elbowed her._

_"I'm gonna kick _**you**_ if you keep this up." Quinn replied with a playful scowl and Santana held one hand up in mock surrender._

_"Sorry. But kick your legs up and down." Santana reminded and Quinn obliged, kicking her legs up and down like she's seen on television. Santana caught more than one gulp of lake water as the blonde thrashed her legs, sending water everywhere. _

_"Okay! Okay!" Santana yelled out, sputtering as water slapped her in the face and Quinn stopped kicking her legs._

_"We're gonna try that again but with less splashing and trying to drown __**me**__ in the process." Santana said and Quinn tossed her an apologetic smile. Quinn started kicking her legs again while this time refraining from drowning the brunette in the process. She was getting the hang of it. _

_"Now start moving your arms." Santana added in and Quinn frowned, stopping her kicking._

_"Like how?" Quinn asked and Santana had the blonde stand up so she could show her just how to move her arms._

_"Got it?" Santana asked for reassurance after her demonstration and Quinn nodded._

_"I think so." Once again Quinn was floating on her stomach with Santana holding her up. She started kicking her legs and soon she threw in the arm movements like she was taught. The two girls practiced like that for at least half an hour until Quinn really had the hang of it, laughing with each other when Quinn kicked too strongly and dowsed the brunette with lake water._

_"Do you think you're ready to try it on your own?" Santana inquired and Quinn shrugged. _

_"I don't know. I'm scared." Quinn confessed and Santana grabbed her hand, squeezing it._

_"It's okay to be scared but I think you have the hang of it. You'll be fine." Santana assured and Quinn let out a brave sigh and shook her head. _

_"Let's do it. Don't let me drown okay?" Quinn reminded and Santana gave her a soft smile._

_"I won't let you drown." Santana declared and Quinn took another deep breath before she put that practice to work. Santana stayed close to her the whole time, just in case anything happened but Quinn swam from where they had been to one side of the lake and back. Quinn squealed as she waded in the water next to Santana._

_"I did it! I swam!" Quinn squealed and tackled the brunette into a hug. Santana laughed and hugged her back._

_"Thank you Santana!" Quinn exclaimed and Santana nodded her head._

_"That was all you blondie." Santana said with a smile before splashing water at Quinn. Quinn let out a shocked gasp before splashing water back at Santana and soon they were involved in an epic splash battle, ending in Santana giving up to the blonde. They swam around for a little while longer, playing games like Marco Polo and sharks, before taking refuge on a damp log under a shaded tree. It kept them safe from the blazing sun. The two splashed their feet about in the cool water underneath them, every once and a while kicking the others foot and enticing giggles._

_"Thanks San." Quinn said breaking their comfortable silence. Santana smiled at her and shrugged._

_"It's no problem." Santana replied as she wiggled her toes in the clear water. _

_"My mom would probably have a heart attack if she knew I was in the water. She freaks out when I go near it." Quinn confessed, copying Santana's actions and wiggling her toes about in the water too._

_"Well now she doesn't have to worry because you officially know how to swim." Santana remarked, throwing the blonde a smile. Quinn let out a content sigh. _

_"How did you learn to swim? Did your mom teach you?" Quinn asked and Santana's head snapped to look at the blonde at the mention of her mom. She hadn't told the blonde yet. Truth was, she was having so much fun she had totally spaced on the subject. She didn't forget. She could never forget but for a while it felt…normal. It wasn't something she liked talking about either. It made her sad and miss her mom all the more. Even though it was nearly two years ago, it still felt like only yesterday that her abuela was sitting her down and telling her that her parents were with god now. The brunette couldn't help the lump in her throat. _

_"Yes. It was one of the few things she actually got to do." Santana replied and Quinn didn't understand._

_"What do you mean?" Quinn asked as she watched the brunette sniffle and wipe the tear that escaped._

_"They got into a car accident when I was seven. They didn't make it. That's why I live with my abuela." Santana confessed with a shrug as she sniffed again. Quinn didn't know what to do. She knew what it was like to lose someone you were close to after her grandpa died but she figured it was a whole other realm of sadness when you lost a parent. Her mom was mean to her sometimes or tried her hardest to get her to join dumb pageants and her dad wasn't around a lot but she would be really sad if they died. Quinn slung her arm around the brunette's shoulder and scooted closer to her on the log. _

_"I'm sorry." Quinn said softly just before she gave Santana a squeeze. Even the smallest comfort that was being given by the small blonde had Santana feeling a lot better so she was able to give the blonde a watery smile._

_"Thanks. I just miss them a lot sometimes." Santana remarked and Quinn let out a small hum. They sat in silence with Quinn's arm still over Santana's shoulder before the small brunette blew out her breath. Quinn gave Santana a squeeze, just to let her know she was there. It was a silent gesture that said 'you can cry if you want to.' The sun was starting to slowly go down and they both knew they would have to head back home soon. Quinn sighed as she took her arm from around Santana._

_"You ready to go? Or did you want to stay a little longer?" Quinn asked and Santana shook her head._

_"No, we can go." Santana replied scooting off the log and back into the water. Quinn watched her swim off and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Santana. Quinn didn't understand why people had to die. Why couldn't they just stay alive forever, she used to ask her grams and her grams would simply reply that it was the circle of life. Quinn recognized the saying from Lion King, which was one of her favorite Disney movies, but it still didn't help her understand completely. Or at all for that matter. She guessed she would understand more when she was a grown up but for now it still remained a puzzle to her. Quinn hopped off the log and into the water as well, following Santana's trail until she was next to her. _

_"I'll race you to land?" Quinn challenged and Santana gave her a devious grin._

_"You're on blondie." Santana declared and after calling your mark, get set, go both of the girls shot off like a bullet. Santana won but Quinn was close behind her. Once they reached their clothes, they dressed and headed back home. _

_"The only reason you won was because I barely learned how to swim." Quinn said indignantly and Santana scoffed._

_"Don't kid yourself shorty. Even if you were a gold medal swimmer I would have still beat you. It's the Lopez way." Santana declared with a grin as they walked through the woods back home. Quinn shoved the girl playfully with an eye roll. _

_"Shorty? I'm taller than you." Quinn remarked with a giggle and Santana waved her off. _

_"I didn't mean it literally. It's just a nick name." Santana said with a laugh and Quinn scrunched her nose up at it._

_"I don't think I like it San." Quinn replied with a small pout. _

_"What, do you want me to call you Quinnie Bear?" Santana teased and Quinn's pout grew, her lip poking out full length. Santana could only laugh as she snaked an arm around the girl's neck._

_"I'm just playing blondie. But it is a cute nickname." Santana said before stumbling over a branch. She let out an audible oomph as clutched on to Quinn tighter for balance and making Quinn giggle. _

_"That's what you get. And sure it's a cute nickname. If you're five." Quinn said rolling her eyes. Santana smiled and shrugged. _

_"Fine. I'll just stick with blondie. Or Q." Santana remarked and Quinn smiled. _

_"I guess. If you have to." Quinn said and Santana shook her head._

_"I have to." Santana replied with a giggle before receiving a kick in the butt from the blonde, the both of them laughing. They continued their trek back home making up games to play like whoever spotted the first blue jay won and the other had to hop half way to the next tree on one leg and making up their own silly songs. And for about 15 minutes of that time Santana spent trying to teach the little blonde how to whistle. Soon they were clearing the woods and back on the road. The sun was sinking faster in the sky so the two girls decided to pick up their pace to make it home so they wouldn't get into trouble. In no time they were stopping outside of Quinn's grams' front gate._

_"Tell your grams she owes me one for not letting you drown." Santana joked and Quinn rolled her eyes. _

_"That's real nice Santana." Quinn said sarcastically and Santana shook the girls shoulder._

_"Aw come on you know I'm just joshing ya Q." Santana declared and Quinn shook her head._

_"I know." Quinn acknowledged with a smile before Santana let out a sigh._

_"Well I better get going before I get in trouble. Mi abuela worries and because she has to worry she pays me back by making me wash the windows. As you know." Santana said with a roll of her eyes but a smile still in place._

"_I'd like to meet your abuela some time." Quinn said as she bounced on the balls of her feet. _

_"Sure, you can meet her some time. How about you come over to play video games some day? I can test your skills; see if you're a worthy opponent." Santana replied with a smirk. _

_"I told you I'm not any good San." Quinn whined and Santana shook her head._

_"I'll be the judge of that blondie." Santana declared before she slowly started backing up. She would really be cutting it close when she got home._

_"I'll see you tomorrow though. Like I said, I don't want to be washing windows before dinner." Santana said before waving at the blonde. Quinn waved back with a smile before she made her way up the steps of the porch. Once she got inside, the house a lot cooler than it was earlier, she kicked off her shoes and began to make her way up to her room but her grams voice calling out to her stopped her in her tracks. She backpedaled towards the living room to see her grams watching the news. _

_"How was the lake?" Betty asked Quinn as the blonde plopped down beside her._

_"It was fun. Santana taught me how to swim!" Quinn exclaimed with a proud look on her face and Betty laughed._

_"She did, did she? Well I'm glad but I'm sure you don't need me to tell you that was a little dangerous booger. Anything could have happened." Betty warned and Quinn shook her head. _

_"I know but Santana promised she wouldn't let me drown." Quinn stated matter of factly and Betty could only chuckle at the sheer trust Quinn put in the fiery little brunette's promise._

_"Alright just let me know next time you wanna do something like that. I just want you to be careful okay?" Betty asked and Quinn shook her head. They were silent for a time while Betty watched the news. _

_"Grams?" Quinn called out quietly and Betty gave the little blonde her full attention._

_"Yeah Quinnie bear?" Betty replied and Quinn looked up at her, sadness in her eyes._

_"Did you know that Santana's parents had died?" Quinn asked quietly and Betty gave her a sympathetic smile. _

_"Actually, I did sweetheart. Why?" Betty questioned and Quinn shook her head._

_"No reason. She just told me today that they did. She seemed so sad but I don't think there was anything I could do to help her." Quinn answered and Betty gave her shoulder a squeeze. _

_"Just be her friend sweetheart. That's really all you can do to help her." Betty replied and Quinn nodded._

_"Okay." Quinn said and then let out a sigh. _

_"I still don't get it grams. I know you said it's the circle of life and all but I still don't get it." Quinn announced with a shrug. Betty gave her a soft smile and kissed her on the head._

_"I don't think anyone completely understands why people die, even grownups. But we just accept it because if we think about it too much booger, without ever having an answer, we'd probably go crazy." Betty responded truthfully with a chuckle and Quinn let out a chuckle of her own. She definitely didn't want to go crazy thinking about it._

_"Are you hungry? I made your favorite, macaroni and cheese. I can heat it up if you want." Betty asked and at the mention of food, Quinn's tummy rumbled which had both of them laughing. _

_"Yes please." Quinn said with a smile. _

_"Well come on then sugar." Betty said patting the little girl's thigh and getting up. Quinn followed her grams to the kitchen and in no time she had a delicious looking bowl of macaroni in front of her. She retold her day at the lake with Santana to her grams as she sat at the table with her while she ate. Then her grams made her a bath and soon she was getting ready for bed. Before Quinn fell asleep that night, she smiled at the thought of Santana. She hated that Santana's parents weren't there anymore for the small brunette but she vowed she would do exactly as her grams said she should and be the there for her whenever she needed her. She would be the best friend she could be for her and she hoped that would be enough._

_**AN: I'm really glad you all are enjoying the story and being patient as it progresses. It's totally appreciated. As for pondering on whether we'll meet Finn's mistress or who it could be, the answer now is WE WON'T. This is because the story is not about him. It's about Quinn's journey. While Finn's unfaithfulness is what fueled Quinn's realization that she deserves better than what he can give her, I don't really want to focus on an interaction between Quinn and the other woman. It just isn't important lol Anyways thanks for reading and reviews, as always, are greatly appreciated. **_


	9. Things Are Sweeter in Tennessee

Quinn stood in the driveway, looking up at the house before she heaved a sigh. It had been a very trying week since she started staying with Frannie. Since she left what she used to call her home. Since she found out that her husband had been cheating on her for a year. Now she was running out of clothes to wear and not to mention sanity to hold on to. Quinn had made some progress though. She had started looking for flats in the city with the help of Frannie's real estate agent friend. So far she had narrowed it down to three potentials.

Quinn didn't want to mooch off Frannie any longer than was necessary just because she was emotionally robbed by her cheating husband. Frannie didn't care whether she stayed a week or a year but Quinn did. Rachel had even offered to put her up until she decided where she wanted to live, which she appreciated the brunette for, but declined. With her roommates all in theater, it was like a musical mad house at Rachel's. Quinn still hadn't returned any of her mother's calls about what was happening with her marriage and while she knew she was pushing it with her, she also knew if she had that conversation with her mother right now it would tip her over the edge.

Quinn let out another sigh and made her way up the front porch stairs and into the house. She sifted through the mail on the table beside the front door, grabbing what was hers, before putting the rest back. Quinn then made her way to the living room and that's when she noticed Finn was sitting on the couch watching television. She should have known he wouldn't have respected her request not to be here when she came to get the rest of her stuff. He must have parked his car in the garage seeing as she was parked in the driveway and she didn't see his car at all. It would have given her incentive to leave and come back once he was gone for sure. Finn looked up at her in surprise.

"I swear I didn't know you were coming today." Finn said immediately, his hands held up in surrender. Quinn rolled her eyes.

"I told you I would be by sometime this week." Quinn replied as she jiggled her keys in her hands.

"Well you didn't actually say what day or else I would have been gone." Finn remarked quietly and Quinn was letting out another sigh. He had a point; she didn't actually tell him what day.

"It's fine." Quinn finished and then made her way to their room. She pulled her suitcase from the closet and began to pack it with all of her belongings that had been living in the room. She grabbed more of her clothes, picture frames and anything else she could fit in that suitcase before she was filling another. She could feel Finn's presence in the doorway as she threw more clothes into her other suitcase.

"What?" Quinn asked as she opened the chest of drawers and began emptying it of anything that belonged to her.

"Nothing just…" Finn sighed and ran his hand through his hair, the other holding a beer. She forgot it was super bowl Sunday and that's probably what he had been watching when she walked in the living room.

"You're really leaving." Finn stated more than questioned and Quinn shook her head.

"I'm really leaving." Quinn declared as she tossed a few more items into the already full suitcase. She unzipped the last spare suitcase she had and Finn watched her.

"And there's nothing I can do to make you stay? To change your mind?" Finn asked desperately and the sadness in his voice made her falter. She wouldn't go there though. She couldn't. If she took him back she would only be selling herself short.

"There isn't Finn. I can't do this anymore." Quinn confessed as she turned to look at him. He advanced into the room causing Quinn to backpedal a few paces and that made him stop in his tracks.

"Quinn please, I am begging you not to leave." Finn pleaded, grabbing her hands and Quinn couldn't help the tears that stung at her eyes.

"I don't want to leave you-" Quinn began but Finn cut her off.

"Then don't. We can work through this. We'll go to therapy. I'll do anything you want." Finn implored but Quinn shook her head taking her hands back from him.

"But I have to. Just thinking about you being with someone else makes me sick to my stomach. It's the ultimate betrayal. How could you ever do that to me?" Quinn asked as the tears started to fall this time.

"I love you Quinn." Finn declared desperately and again Quinn was shaking her head violently.

"No Finn. You don't do something like that to the person you love. You're a liar. You don't love me. You know just as well as I do that this was a marriage of convenience. You married me because I got knocked up and our parents encouraged us to." Quinn seethed and began to put more of her things into her suitcase again.

"Maybe that's what it was for you Quinn but that's not what it was for me. I married you because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Finn said and Quinn let out a humorless laugh. Once again he was painting her as the bad guy in this mess.

"Oh that's rich. Because cheating on your wife is exactly how you show her you love her and want to spend the rest of your life with her. Bravo Finn. Bravo." Quinn replied tartly as she clapped for his performance. Finn scowled at her as she tried her best to pack as fast as she could so she could get the hell out of this house.

"So just like that it's over?" Finn asked with a shrug and Quinn shook her head.

"No not just like that. You cheated. You ruined it. You ruined us and now it's over." Quinn remarked bitterly as she filled the last suitcase and zipped it up.

"I know you've lived most of your life playing the hero card Finn and doing a pretty good job of making everyone else look like the bad guy but this time it's you. I know you feel like this doesn't apply to you but the reality is, the shit you do has consequences and this is yours." Quinn declared as she slung an already full duffle bag across her shoulder and grabbed one of the suitcases, brushing past him as she made her way to put it into her car.

Once she had those tucked away in her trunk, she made her way back into the house and grabbed the others without another word to Finn. She would have to come back for the rest after she decided on a flat but for now she was good. As she made her way to the front door again, Finn called out to her.

"I'm not going to stop trying to get you back Quinn. I made a mistake but that doesn't mean I don't love you. There isn't going to be another person who will love you like I love you." Finn said and Quinn scoffed as she jerked the door open. The thought, though, made her stomach hurt.

"Well I'll definitely take my chances." Quinn said tartly before slamming the front door and putting the other two suitcases in her back seat. She wouldn't let him ever know that was the one thing that scared her the most. That she would never find another person to love her the way she wanted. The way she deserved.

Quinn wasted no time in gunning the engine and heading back to Frannie's. She couldn't believe she had felt sorry for him for a moment. Truth is, Finn Hudson was an asshole. Plain and simple. She can't exactly say when it was he had changed but he did. He was no longer the man she loved but someone she was growing to hate.

The drive back to Frannie's and the stop at the liquor store for a pack of cigarettes served to calm Quinn down. So when she walked through Frannie's front door, with a duffle slung over her shoulder and two suitcases, she wasn't so furious. John, who was home from his business trip to Chicago, grabbed the other from Quinn's car and put it in the guest room with the rest. Quinn didn't say anything as she went on the back porch and fumbled with her new pack of cigarettes, lighting up and taking a long drag. The nicotine burned so good in her chest and gave her a moment of relief.

"That bad huh?" Quinn heard John's voice ring out and she gave him a weak chuckle.

"Yeah it was pretty bad." Quinn confessed taking another drag off the cigarette. She hadn't really smoked in years and when she did it was only when she was really stressed out. Now was as good a time as any to stress out. John came to stand beside her, leaning over the banister of the back porch. He gestured for a cigarette of his own and Quinn handed the pack over to him.

"Frannie will kill you if she finds out." Quinn warned as he lit up the nicotine laced stick before he let out a chuckle.

"Then we just won't tell her." John replied and Quinn laughed.

"Yeah right. You'll be telling on _yourself_ before we even get back in the house good enough." Quinn declared bringing out another chuckle from John.

"You do make a valid point there." John admitted as they both puffed on their cigarettes in a comfortable silence.

"I guess Frannie informed you of what's been going on?" Quinn asked taking another hit from her cigarette and making circles out of the smoke.

"Yeah she did. I'm sorry that something like this is happening to you Quinn." John replied sincerely and Quinn gave him a smile. Even before he had married Frannie, John had always seen Quinn as a second baby sister and to know that something as terrible as this was happening to her made him shake his head at the world.

"Thanks. I just hate that I didn't notice sooner. Would have saved me some wasted time." Quinn declared as she took one last long drag from her cigarette and stubbed it out before hopping up on the ledge of the banister.

"Never mind you finding out sooner, it's a damn shame it ever happened in the first place." John remarked and Quinn agreed because more than anything she wished it wouldn't have happened at all.

"He's a fool anyway. I see being married to a Fabray woman as a privilege and not a right." John said with a chuckle and Quinn joined in.

"Damn right." Quinn agreed before letting out a sigh. John stubbed out his cigarette as well.

"I'm sure he's already realizing what a huge mistake he made and soon when it sinks in that you aren't coming back, that you've decided to do what's right for you, that's when he'll be completely miserable. And it will be entirely his fault." John finished before he patted Quinn on the arm.

"Just hang in there and before you realize it, you're going to find someone who thinks the sun shines out of your ass and you'll be a better person for it." John declared and Quinn let out a watery chuckle. John gave the blonde's arm another squeeze before he made his way back inside, the faint sound of him telling Frannie he had a smoke with her being heard. Quinn laughed even louder at how predictable he was. Quinn lit up another cigarette and took a few puffs off of it before she was putting it out and letting go of a sigh as she glanced up at the sky. The stars were twinkling in a dance she couldn't comprehend and for the first time that concept didn't confuse her or make her wonder more; it just was.

Quinn pushed off the ledge of the banister and made her way down the back porch steps to lie on the grass next to the swing set that Anna and Summer stayed on for hours. She took in a deep breath and let it out as she watched the stars dance in the sky. She laid there for a while and it took her back to a time that she hadn't dwelled on in a while. It reminded her of one of the last nights in Tennessee; the summer of 2000. She and Santana had stayed in her grams' back yard until the wee hours of the morning just watching the stars while they talked about anything and everything. Santana didn't want her to leave and she didn't want to leave Santana either.

It almost seemed like a different life; thinking about the summers she had spent with her grams. Thinking about the summers she had spent with Santana. God, she hadn't really thought about Santana in a while. The girl had always been there in the back of her mind; someone she would never be able to forget but she hadn't thought about the times they had together in a while. Not after everything that happened between the two of them. Not after she stopped going to visit when she was seventeen.

It was a simpler time for Quinn, that's for sure. She wished she could go back there. To the times when things were a lot easier for her. Back to when she was happy and didn't really have a care in the world. She really missed those days; longed for those days even. All this thinking was starting to give the blonde a head ache so she rose from her place in the grass and made her way back into the house.

"I made spaghetti if you're hungry." Frannie informed and Quinn gave her a small smile.

"Thanks but I think I'm just gonna take a shower and then turn in for the night." Quinn replied and Frannie let out a sigh but nodded her head. Quinn then made her way to the guest room. As she rifled through her different suitcases and bags for pajamas before her shower, she could feel Frannie watching her from the threshold.

"I'm worried about you." Frannie said as she leaned against the door jamb, arms crossed over her chest. Quinn let out a small laugh.

"Tell me a time when you aren't Frannie?" Quinn asked to which Frannie rolled her eyes. Quinn had a point. When they were younger they had a rocky relationship due to the fact that Quinn was a lot younger than her but she always had her back. She was her baby sister after all. It was only after they got older that she worried all the time about Quinn. And it was never a worry of whether she was succeeding or financially stable because she ran her own record company for god sakes but whether she was happy. Quinn was so used to letting every tom, dick and harry influence what she did with her life that more times than not Frannie seriously wondered if Quinn was truly happy.

"Touché. But I'm serious Quinn. I'm worried about you." Frannie remarked and Quinn nodded as she took a seat on the bed.

"I know you are but you shouldn't be. I'm a big girl Fran. I'll be fine." Quinn admonished and Frannie sighed.

"But will you really be?" Frannie asked seriously and the only answer she got was silence.

"I don't know Frannie. But I have to try to be. I can't just stop living life because of this shit." Quinn let out in frustration. Frannie uncrossed her arms and made her way over to Quinn, taking a seat next to her on the bed.

"But you are Quinnie. Last week I watched you glide through life like you were some kind of ghost. Here but not really." Frannie argued and Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Jesus Frannie, I just got cheated on by my husband of five years. You can't expect me to just bounce back from that within a week." Quinn defended and once again, Frannie was letting out a sigh.

"I know-" Quinn shook her head cutting Frannie off.

"No, I don't think you do know Frannie. You don't know what this is like because the man you love would never dream of hurting you like that. Finn and I didn't have nearly as close a relationship as you and John. He didn't love me like that. The only time I came remotely close to someone loving me like that I ran from it and settled for Finn. And look where that got me." Quinn fumed before blowing out her breath. She didn't like thinking about any of this. Fannie was puzzled about whom this person was Quinn was talking about but she didn't question it.

"So no Frannie, you don't know shit." Quinn finished before she removed herself from the spot next to Frannie.

"Okay." Frannie said holding up her hands in surrender, not wanting to fight with her sister. It was the last thing Quinn needed.

"Okay." Quinn bit back before Frannie made her way out of the guest room to leave Quinn to her own devices. Quinn knew that this was displaced anger that she was throwing at Frannie but she couldn't help it. She was pissed off, hurt and feeling a whole lot of regret so she couldn't help but explode. It was all too much for the blonde to handle. Quinn ran a hand through her hair before she decided she would go take a shower. Maybe it would help her refrain from biting Frannie's head off again for simply worrying about her.

The shower did help. It helped her push that anger down some so it wouldn't bubble up and explode all over Frannie's living room next time. After her shower, Quinn made her way into the kitchen to get something to eat after realizing she hadn't really eaten all day. Frannie was washing the dishes and Quinn wrapped her arms around her, laying her head on the taller blondes back.

"I'm sorry." Quinn mumbled just before giving Frannie a squeeze and letting go. Frannie shut the water off after washing the last plate and turned to face Quinn. Frannie had a stern look on her face, the kind Quinn only imagined made her nieces cower, and she gave Frannie a guilty look.

"I'm sorry for blowing up on you like that. I didn't mean it, it was displaced anger. None of this is your fault and I know you were only trying to look out for me. So, I'm sorry." Quinn finished, her gaze shifting from her sister's to fiddle with her hands. Frannie sighed. She knew Quinn was never one for apologizing. For anything. So she knew the blonde was trying.

"It's fine. I know you're having a shit time right now so I'm over it." Frannie replied accepting Quinn's apology before giving her a smile and leaving the kitchen. Quinn let out a sigh before she grabbed a plate and served herself some of the left over spaghetti. She heated it up in the microwave before chowing down. She had to admit, Frannie made really good spaghetti. Once the blonde had her fill, rewashing the plate and fork she used, she made her way back to her temporary room.

Quinn knew she wouldn't be able to sleep and that's why two hours later she was still looking at the pattern that the dry wall made on the ceiling, listening to the clock on the bedside table tick. Her mind wouldn't shut off, memories of summers in Tennessee flooding back in to clutter her brain. Days she spent at the lake with Santana and the afternoons the three of them; her, Puck and Santana, lived in the diner. The three musketeers.

Quinn smiled at the memory of when Santana dared Puck to chug a whole milkshake without stopping for a crummy baseball card and he did it. Or how Santana could instantly make her feel the best even when she was feeling her worst. It also made her think about the way she left things with Santana as well and that made her stomach churn. It was then that Quinn started to miss the life she had back in Tennessee. It had always made her feel at home even though it wasn't. She was a completely different person now from the girl she used to be. A girl she missed so much she didn't even realize until now.

It was then that she decided she had to get that girl back. She had to get back to her somehow and she knew just the way to do it. Quinn flung the covers off of her and started packing up all the things she had in Frannie's guest room, sliding closet doors open and nearly tripping over her duffle bag. At the sound of the commotion Frannie appeared in the doorway for the second time that night.

"What are you doing?" The older blonde asked puzzled as Quinn zipped up a suitcase.

"Packing." Quinn replied as she got on her knees to get a spare shoe from under the bed and threw it in her duffle bag.

"I can see that. My question is what are you packing for?" Frannie carried on as Quinn began to change from her pajamas to jeans and a shirt.

"No, your question was 'what am I doing?'." Quinn said chuckling to which Frannie rolled her eyes.

"Smart ass." Frannie commented as Quinn tugged on her boots.

"But to answer your question, I'm leaving." Quinn declared as she finished getting all that she had in the guest room into her duffle bag that it came in and various suitcases.

"And where exactly are you going at…" Frannie trailed off to glance at the time on her watch.

"1:30 in the morning?" Frannie questioned as Quinn pulled on her jacket.

"Tennessee." Quinn supplied to which Frannie frowned.

"And you decided this when?" Frannie fired off another question and Quinn laughed.

"About ten minutes ago. What's with the 21 questions?" It was Quinn's turn to ask and Frannie only shrugged.

"I'm just confused." Frannie admitted and Quinn sighed as she grabbed her messenger bag off the desk chair and slug it over her shoulder.

"I can't stay in New York right now Fran. You were right; it's sucking the life out of me. This whole failing marriage ordeal? It's sucking the life out of me. I don't even know who I am anymore. I was so tied to Finn, that marriage, that without it I don't even know who I am anymore. How to be on my own. So I'm going to Tennessee to pay grams a visit. I use to be really happy there and I'm not here so maybe I'll be able to find that happiness again. Maybe grams can motivate me to actually sort through my shit." Quinn confessed and Frannie shook her head.

"And this can't wait until the more day part of the day?" Frannie asked just to double check. She knew once her sister had her mind set there was no changing it.

"Nope." Quinn supplied an answer Frannie already knew, before hefting her black duffle over her shoulder.

"Thought so. Then I guess I'll drive you to the airport." Frannie declared to which Quinn gave her a grateful smile.

"Thanks Frannie." Quinn said but only received an eye roll from the older blonde before she lifted the handle on Quinn's suitcase, dragging it from the guest room. John saw the two blondes making their way down the hall as he came from the bathroom.

"And just where are you two going?" John asked with a chuckle.

"To the airport. Grab the rest of her bags." Frannie responded and John continued to look at the two of them puzzled.

"I'm going to Tennessee. Now be a gentleman John and get the rest of my bags." Quinn chuckled. John only shrugged before muttering a 'Fabray Women' under his breath and going to get the rest of Quinn's bags. Soon Quinn's car was packed and Frannie was starting up the engine as Quinn slide into the passenger seat.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." Frannie told her husband before he leaned down through the driver side window and gave her a kiss.

"Be safe. And Quinn? Don't cause too much trouble down there in the south." John said with a laugh while Quinn gave him a sly smirk.

"I make no promises." Quinn replied in her best twang before Frannie was shaking her head and pulling off from the curb, waving at John from the window. Quinn scrolled through her contacts list in her iPhone until she reached her grams and dialed the number. She was probably fast asleep right now and Quinn sent up an apology because she was about to wake her. Her grams answered the phone with a groggy 'hello' and Quinn took a deep breath.

"Hey grams, how would you like some company for the summer?"

_**AN: I know, I know it's a day late but my dumb words was being a dick so apologies for that. Anyways, oooh guys we're getting closer to the Quinntana meet up! How many of you are excited? Lol I hope you guys liked the chapter and as always your feedback and reviews are greatly appreciated. **_


	10. Airplanes Are Like Shooting Stars

Quinn sat at the bar inside the airport, sipping her vodka and cranberry, waiting for her flight. She wasn't able to snag one that left to Nashville until 3:30 am, so she was killing time. Quinn had long checked her bags, with the help of Frannie, and spent at least twenty minutes waiting to go through airport security because some woman thought it ideal to wear her whole jewelry box. To the airport. At nearly two in the morning. Quinn could only roll her eyes and sigh as did the others that were standing in line behind her. Once she escaped the wrath of TSA and had her affairs in order, she felt she needed a drink to celebrate her victory of not attempting to chew out anyone who remotely looked at her questioningly.

Quinn hated the airport and all the hassle that came with it. It didn't matter what situation she was flying in, it never ran smoothly for her. Frannie had left hours ago but not before making Quinn promise to call her after she landed. She had offered to stay until Quinn boarded her flight but Quinn wouldn't let her; telling her she needed to get back home to her husband and that she would be fine. Now she was thoroughly bored with all the waiting. Quinn checked her watch, 2:05am glaring at her, and sighed just before taking another sip of her drink. She really wished she would have brought a book to read to make time go by faster instead of taking up staring at her watch every second.

Quinn sat there for an additional five minutes, finishing off her drink, before remembering that she had her iPad in her messenger. She retrieved the device and decided she would get a new high score on the levels she beat in angry birds. Quinn played that for about twenty minutes before she got frustrated with those damn green pigs foiling her plans to take them out and achieve a new high score. She then moved on to a crossword puzzle app she had recently downloaded and right when she was in the middle of finding a five letter word that meant at a distance, someone took up the seat next to her. Quinn tried, for the first few seconds, to ignore the fact that they were staring at her before they cleared their throat.

"Can I buy you another drink?" Quinn looked up from her crossword puzzle, guessing right that the word was apart, and gave this stranger her attention. It was a man with coiffed hair dressed in a business suit. He was giving Quinn a charming smile and while she was sure he meant no harm, almost charming guys in business suits were **not** on her radar right now. But another drink was and if it came for free, well as free as any guy offering to buy you a drink could get, she was in no position to turn it down. Quinn gave him a dazzling smile.

"Sure. That would actually be great." Quinn replied to his previous request and the man gave Quinn another smile before signaling to the bar tender.

"What can I get ya?" The bartender asked as she cleaned out a glass. Quinn's new friend looked at her to which she smiled at the bar tender.

"Can I get another vodka cranberry please?" Quinn asked and the bar tender gave her another smile.

"Coming right up." The bar tender obliged right before giving the blonde a wink. Quinn's cheeks tinged a little pink before her new bar partner was practically shoving his hand in her face, oblivious to the whole exchange that just happened between her and the bar tender. Quinn had thought the girl had been giving her the eye the whole time she sat here. Quinn couldn't deny that she was attractive though.

"Gregory Cartwright." The man said with an easy smile and Quinn had to tune back in to remember what he had just said his name was. She then took Gregory's hand and shook it.

"Quinn Fabray." Quinn replied and Gregory had a surprised look on his face.

"Thee Quinn Fabray? As in Trinity Records Quinn Fabray?" Gregory asked and after giving him an amused frown, Quinn spoke up.

"Yeah that's me. How do you know who I am again? You aren't stalking me are you?" Quinn asked and Gregory laughed as he unbuttoned his suit jacket and ran his hand through his hair. Gregory probably thought he looked dashing or charming doing that but Quinn could only hold back the urge to roll her eyes.

"Well I work for Made Records and your company is very well known in our realm. Your name too. It's not every day your competition is a 27 year old woman that has built her own company from the ground up, racking in great talent not to mention revenue by the hour." Gregory said and while Quinn was sure there was a compliment in there somewhere with a touch a flattery, the fact that Gregory had to emphasize that she was a woman when talking about her building her own record company slightly pissed Quinn off. Quinn laughed.

"Are you surprised at the fact that I'm only 27 and built my own company from the ground up or the fact that I'm a woman and managed to do that?" Quinn asked with an eyebrow raised, daring him to give her the wrong answer. Gregory's face registered slight panic before he let out a nervous laugh.

"Definitely because you are so young and not because you're a woman. I'm no sexist pig. I believe none of that really matters when it comes to finding great music and good talent." Gregory defended and Quinn nodded her head. Gregory continued to talk about music and great talent he's gotten signed as head of A&R, sufficiently boring the blonde, when the bar tender placed Quinn's drink in front of her.

Quinn's fingers grazed the brunette's as she went to reach for the glass and it made her breath hitch. The bar tender again threw her a smile before going back to serving the few stragglers at the bar. Quinn felt a strange but not foreign rush quake in her stomach at the contact. There was really only one other woman who had ever made her feel that rush but it was magnified by a tenfold back then. This was a tiny quiver to the earthquake of a rush she felt back then.

Quinn had known for a while that she was attracted to women but she had never further acted on that attraction. She couldn't even begin to imagine the conniption fit her mother would have if she even dared and she had been dating Finn since she was eighteen, married by twenty-two, so she never even got the chance. To be honest, it scared her and that was partly due to the fact that she could only ever associate it with her past. And damn did how intensely she feel back then scare her. Quinn took a long drag from her glass, nearly draining the ruby colored liquid before placing it back on the bar. Gregory had stopped mid sentence about product placement in music videos to watch her do so.

"Impressive." Gregory said with a look of approval on his face and Quinn smiled just before closing the case on her iPad and sliding it back into her messenger. She was officially over this conversation and she needed to get as far away from this brunette who was drudging up old feelings that she thought didn't even exist anymore. The blonde then slung her bag over her shoulder. Quinn stood and checked her watch as if she were late to catch her flight, even though it was only 2:45, just so she could cut this conversation short. Or more like him talking at her.

"It was really nice meeting you Gregory and I can't thank you enough for the drink but I have to get going. My flight leaves in about five and I want to beat that long line that always seems to form when boarding." Quinn said politely giving him a smile before grabbing her carry on, draining the last of her drink and giving the guy a pat on the shoulder. She didn't even give Gregory the time to say a proper goodbye before she was walking away and the bar tender laughed. Quinn glanced at her and the brunette was giving her another wink this time with a salute, enticing a chuckle from Quinn as well as a return salute. She made her way over to the waiting area on the other side of the airport just so she wouldn't get caught and stuck with listening to one Gregory Cartwright carry on about music like he cared.

Gregory Cartwright was, once again, the type of man that her mother would want her to date and probably marry. Again. But he was the type of man that grated Quinn's first and last nerve. She didn't even need to talk to him for more than fifteen minutes to realize that he was most likely full of himself and a womanizer. Add sexist pig to the list as well and you've got yourself a winner for the douche bag award. Because anyone that had to proclaim themselves as not being a sexist pig was probably a sexist pig.

Quinn would rather be alone for the rest of her life than marry another man the likes of Gregory Cartwright or the Finn Hudson her husband had become. Quinn took a seat in the far from comfortable plastic chair, crossing her legs in it Indian style, before pulling out her iPad again. This time she opted for reading through her kindle Fire app instead of playing games. She browsed through a few selections, not knowing what she was in the mood to read, before she landed on the novel Rachel had recommended she read and opening it.

The book was about a boy, living in a small town, who was put in a coma after being bashed because he was gay and how his former best friend vows to find out who his attacker is. Quinn thought the story line was already interesting enough to give at least the first chapter a read so that's what she did and by the time her flight was preparing to depart, she was already on chapter ten. The blonde bookmarked her page and put away her iPad before slinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her duffle. Quinn made her way over to her gate and it was all smooth sailing from there. She was so glad she made enough to buy a first class ticket because sitting in coach with the time she was having would probably give her a head ache. Quinn moved up in the queue of passengers and soon enough she was handing the attendant her ticket and going to board her flight.

As the blonde moved down the isle of the plane, looking for her seat, she saw none other than Gregory Cartwright sitting three rows in front of her vision. She put her head down, in hopes that he wouldn't notice her, and kept moving until she found her seat. It was a window seat and Quinn sighed with relief at the fact. Even on a first class flight the middle seat or the aisle seat was still the crappiest. The blonde then hefted her duffle bag and deposited it in the compartment above the seat before taking hers and getting comfortable.

Quinn wanted to continue reading but the heaviness of her eyelids were protesting. As soon as the flight attendant announced that they were taking off and to buckle themselves in, Quinn pulled out her iPod, reclined her seat and turned on the playlist she uses to get to sleep before closing her eyes. At least she could get in three hours of sleep with this plane ride and not look like a zombie before she landed in Nashville. After getting the signal that they could unbuckle their seat belts and asked if she would like a pillow, the blonde snuggled up in her seat and let sleep come over her.

Three hours later Quinn was being stirred awake by the flight attendant's warning that the plane was about to land so everyone needed to be in their seats an buckled up. The sun was starting to come up by then and Quinn let out a yawn before she was pulling her compact out of her purse to check what a mess she was. Her hair was in disarray but that was the only true concern. She hadn't bothered to put on any makeup between the end of her shower and her arrival at the airport so she didn't have to worry about smudging. Quinn flipped the compact closed right in time to grab the seat handles at their jerky landing but soon they were steady on the ground and passengers were retrieving their belongings. Quinn did the same, slinging her bag over her shoulder and grabbing her duffle before she was exiting the plane.

Quinn didn't even want to think about how much it was going to cost to get a car from the airport all the way to Clarksburg. It was about an hour's drive and those car services were always trying to charge people an arm and a leg. Quinn trekked her way to baggage claim, waiting a good ten minutes before her luggage appeared, and then lugged them to the ground transportation window. Things would have been a lot easier if she would have just asked her grams to pick her up.

"Hi, I need a car or shuttle that will take me to Clarksburg. Are there any available?" Quinn asked the lady behind the counter and she click clacked away on the computer before returning her attention to Quinn.

"We sure do! I can call Driving Miss Daisy Shuttle and they'll have a car out here for you in about ten to fifteen minutes. Can I have your first and last name please?" The bubbly middle aged blonde asked in her thick accent and Quinn gave her a smile, relief flooding over her that she didn't have to wait another hour like she would have in New York.

"Quinn Fabray." Quinn replied and the blonde scribbled it down on a sticky note before looking up in question.

"You wouldn't happen to be kin to Betty Fabray now would you?" The older woman asked and Quinn shook her head, smile still in place at the fact that someone in Nashville would know her grams.

"I sure am. I'm her granddaughter." Quinn replied politely even though she wanted nothing more than to go grab herself a coffee before she died of exhaustion and before the shuttle got here.

"Well isn't that delightful! You tell her I say howdy you hear?" The blonde said and Quinn shook her head.

"I will do that." Quinn obliged as the older blonde picked up the phone.

"Alrighty. Let me get to calling that car for you." The older woman said before punching numbers in the phone.

"Thanks." Quinn replied before grabbing her bags and going to take a seat in the waiting area. She was craving caffeine so, bravely leaving her bags alone, she made her way over to the coffee vending machine and got herself a cup. The first sip she took was like heaven to her and had her immediately taking another. Quinn realized it was relatively too hot to be drinking coffee but her body needed it to be able to function right now.

Practically skipping back to her bags now that she had coffee in her, Quinn took a seat and made a brief call to Frannie letting her know she had landed safely and was just waiting for the shuttle. Frannie asked why she didn't just have grams pick her up but Quinn didn't want to inconvenience her so early in the morning. For all she knew, her grams could still be sleeping. Quinn hung up with her sister and soon enough a man that had to be at least in his fifties was holding up a sign with her name on it, a luggage cart in front of him. Quinn rose from her seat, pulling her bags behind her and made her way over to the man.

"Hi, I'm Quinn Fabray." Quinn announced as she reached him with her bags and the old man gave her a smile.

"I see you're doing my job for me hmm?" The old man said and as the frown made its way on to Quinn's face, the graying man pointed at her bags. He was most likely referring to the blonde carrying her own bags to him. Quinn laughed and let go of the handle she had on her bags.

"Sorry about that." Quinn said backing away from the bags a little as the old man began to put them on the cart. If Quinn was being honest here, she was afraid the old guy would pull something.

"I'm just kidding with ya. I'm fine with you doing my job because I still get paid either way." The old timer said with a chuckle as he hefted the last suitcase on to the cart and began pushing it out of the airport.

"I'm Jeb by the way." The old man introduced as he threw a glance back at Quinn and the blonde smiled.

"Well it's nice to meet you Jeb." Quinn replied as the hot sun beat down on her. It was way too early for it to be this hot already. Quinn followed close behind Jeb until they reached the car. The blonde watched the frail old man load the bags into the trunk and offered a hand only to be turned down. He then politely opened her door for her and Quinn slid into the back seat.

"So where can I cart you off to Ms. Fabray?" Jeb asked, looking at her through the rearview mirror.

"322 Westbrook Ave, Clarksburg Tennessee." Quinn said as she buckled herself up in the back seat.

"Oh so you're from Clarksburg?" Jeb asked as he punched the address into the ancient excuse for a GPS system he had in the car.

"No I'm not. I just came to visit my grams. She lives there. I'm actually from Boston but I live in New York City." Quinn replied and Jeb made a hum of acknowledgement as he started the car; pulling out of the airport parking lot.

"I went to Boston once. Nice place. Too many people though." Jeb said with a chuckle and Quinn joined in. If he thought too many people lived in Boston then he should never venture to New York. Quinn and Jeb made small talk as the radio played country during the drive before Quinn was passing out in the back seat. It wasn't until Jeb was prodding her shoulder and letting her know that they had made it to her grams house before the blonde was waking up again. She let out a yawn and unbuckled herself as Jeb busied himself with retrieving her bags from the trunk. Once Quinn had cracked practically every bone in her body, she met Jeb around the back of the car by her bags.

"You need any help carrying those in?" Jeb asked as he took his hat off, riding his brow of the drops of sweat that had collected there.

"No I think I got it from here Jeb. Thanks. How much do I owe ya?" Quinn asked with a smile and Jeb replied a $32.50. Quinn paid the man and he tucked the bills safely in his vest pocket. How he was wearing the thing on such a hot day was a wonder to Quinn.

"It was a pleasure driving you Ms. Fabray." Jeb remarked as he tipped his hat to her, before securing it on his balding head more snuggly.

"It was a pleasure to be driven by you Mr. Jeb." Quinn replied with a chuckle and gave the old man a wave as he got back in the car and drove off. Quinn coughed a little at the dust that came up before looking up at her grams house and letting out a sigh. Boy did she have a long journey ahead of her.

_**AN: Thanks for reading! Just one more chapter until we see Santana and I hope you guys will be able to hold on. Reviews are greatly appreciated :)**_


	11. Somewhere Only We Know

_July 9, 1996_

_"Quinn would ya hurry it up?! I want to show you something before we go see the movie with your grams!" Santana yelled up the stairs at the blonde. Santana didn't know what was taking the girl so long but she was growing impatient. The little brunette let out a sigh as she tapped her fingers anxiously against the banister of the stairs. They only had about 30 minutes before Betty would be gathering them up to get going to the theater and it took at least fifteen minutes to get to where Santana was taking them. If they didn't leave now, they could just forget about it. _

_"Quinn Fabray!" Santana shouted out again and a blonde head popped up at the head of the stairs before she was dashing down them._

_"Geeze, can't a girl get ready in peace?" Quinn asked with a laugh and Santana rolled her eyes. _

_"Sure. I have no problem with that. It's when the girl takes an eternity to get ready is what I have a problem with." Santana replied smartly as Quinn hopped over the last stair and gave Santana a bright smile._

_"Exaggeration." Quinn remarked and Santana only shook her head with a smile._

_"Come on. I want to show you something I found on my way home from the lake yesterday. I think you'll like it." Santana said as she took the blondes hand and they both made their way out of Betty's house. _

_"Ooh is it like a secret garden or something?" Quinn asked, her eyes sparkling at the prospect and Santana laughed._

_"You really gotta get over that movie Q." Santana replied playfully and the blonde scoffed at her while giving her a light shove. Quinn had made the brunette watch that movie about thirty times since she had met her and the blonde was still mesmerized by it each time. Santana didn't know how Quinn did it. One time Puck had made her watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles about 12 times, a movie that Santana had once loved, and she ended up breaking his copy of it. By then, Santana even hated just hearing those mutant green turtles' names. _

_"It's a great movie Santana." Quinn declared as she grabbed the brunette's hand again, allowing herself to be lead wherever it was they were going. Santana swung their clasped hands together._

_"Oh I know it is. But how you can watch it like twenty times a day is crazy to me." Santana said with a laugh and Quinn rolled her eyes._

_"I do not watch it that much!" Quinn protested to which Santana just shrugged, letting the blonde know she wasn't fooling anyone. _

_"And to answer your question, it's not a secret garden." Santana said as they made their way through the opening of the brush near the road and into the woods. _

_"Well what is it then?" Quinn asked, a slight frown on her face and Santana threw her a smile; her eyes huge and sparkly._

_"It's a surprise!" Santana exclaimed with excitement and Quinn sighed._

_"San, you know I hate surprises." Quinn whined and Santana abruptly stopped their walking._

_"Come on! Live a little Quinn." Santana remarked as she gave the blonde's arm a shake as their hands were still tightly clasped together. Quinn couldn't deny the bright smile on her friends face so she sighed and gave in. _

_"Fine." Quinn obliged with a small smile on her face and Santana gave a whoop, tugging the blonde along again. The two continued on their path, talking about the movie they were going to see and Santana complaining about how her abuela made her clean out the attic the other day. They talked about anything and everything; big and small. _

_"Where is this place that you're taking me, in Narnia or something?" Quinn interrupted their previous chatter to ask and Santana laughed. _

_"We'll be there soon. Promise." Santana replied and Quinn sighed, following along still. It was starting to get hotter, the sun blazing in the clear blue sky, but soon the duo came to a hanging bridge and Santana halted their movements. The bridge didn't look safe at all and there were a few planks of wood missing from it. Quinn just crossed her fingers and hoped they didn't have to go over it._

_"Look! I found it yesterday when I got lost and the path led me here. I just had to show it to you." Santana pointed and as Quinn followed her finger, her eyes stumbled upon an old tree house. It looked abandoned but the way the overgrowth of the trees hung around it made it seem peaceful. And wonderfully secretive and. The sparkles of light that came through the tree from the blazing sun above painted the wood an even gold and made it seem magical. _

_"Wow. That's really cool." Quinn let out as the pair of them stared ahead at it._

_"I know. Come on." Santana said as she began to move but Quinn grabbed her by the arm before she could step foot on to the hanging bridge._

_"We don't have to cross that do we?" Quinn asked with a slight gulp. She really didn't want to fall to her death all because Santana was a self proclaimed 'adventure seeker.'_

_"How else do you think we're getting across Q?" Santana asked with a laugh and Quinn shrugged._

_"I don't know. We could go around so that way we don't fall to our death." Quinn remarked, her eyes wide. _

_"Where's the fun in that? What, ya scared Quinnie bear?" Santana asked with a smirk on her face to which Quinn rolled her eyes at._

_"No. It just doesn't look safe is all." Quinn said indignantly as she crossed her arms over her chest. _

_"You'll be fine. I crossed it yesterday and didn't die. Just don't look down." Santana said and as soon as the words left the brunette's mouth, Quinn did just that. She saw the murky water of the lake flowing underneath them and the height of how far they were up made her dizzy. Quinn looked at the brunette with slight panic and Santana sighed._

_"I said DON'T look down blondie." Santana reprimanded and shook her head. Quinn gave a helpless shrug._

_"Come on. You can hold my hand." Santana declared as she held out her hand. Quinn looked from the brunette's hand, to the long plunge she would take if she fell and then back to Santana's hand. Santana gave her fingers a wiggle, signaling the blonde to take her hand and Quinn sighed; giving in. She took Santana's hand and the brunette gave her a smile._

_"If I fall to my death I'm coming back to haunt you Santana Lopez." Quinn retorted as the two of them began to move across the rickety bridge._

_"Seems fair." Santana said with a chuckle. Quinn was holding on to the brunette's hand and the rope of the bridge with an iron grip as they moved across the wooden planks. In the middle Santana hit a rather creaky plank that sent them both wobbling for balance as well as the old bridge. Quinn let out an audible gasp and her heart began to race a mile a minute._

_"It's fine. We're fine." Santana assured as she looked back at the blonde. Quinn could see that there was a pause of fear in Santana's face. Even though Quinn's eyes were as wide as saucers and her face was a little pale, she gave Santana a head nod. After catching their breaths, and waiting for the bridge to stop swinging, the pair started across it again and finally made it to solid ground. _

_"See that wasn't so bad." Santana said with a laugh but only received a playful punch from her blonde companion._

_"Wasn't so bad?! We almost died Santana!" Quinn yelled, slightly hysterical and Santana rubbed her arm where the punch landed._

_"Geeze blondie settle down. We weren't going to die. If anything the water would have broken our fall." Santana said with a smirk and Quinn rolled her eyes at her as she blew out her breath. They both stood there for a minute, letting Quinn catch her breath and hold back her urge to throw up from near death. _

_"So we going up or what?" Santana asked as she looked up at the house in the trees._

_"Of course we are. I didn't just brave that for nothing." Quinn declared as she pointed at the death trap that was the hanging bridge. Santana gave the blonde a smile and began climbing the wooden slabs used for a ladder and into the tree house, Quinn right behind her. Once they got inside they took a look around. The place was pretty spacious and it got the perfect mix of sunlight and shade. _

_"Who do you think this belongs to?" Quinn asked as she pulled at a cobweb that was hanging in front of her. _

_"I don't know. But it doesn't look like it has been used for a while. Maybe ever." Santana said as she took a look around as well. She then made her way over to the makeshift balcony, took a seat and let her feet dangle out of the house and over water. Quinn took the seat beside her. _

_"Well since no one has claimed it, can we?" Quinn asked as she kicked her feet back and forth. Santana gave her a smile. _

_"Sure we can. We can clean it up a bit. Paint it if you want and make it our own." Santana said as she lightly kicked the blonde's foot with her own. Quinn laughed and nodded her head._

_"That would be awesome." Quinn replied mimicking the brunette's actions a kicking back at Santana's foot._

_"It can be our secret headquarters. We can come here when we're bored or when our grandmas drive us insane. Or if we're ever feeling sad." Santana remarked and Quinn really liked that idea._

_"How are we gonna make sure no one tries to take it over?" Quinn asked, looking to Santana and she shook her head. _

_"No one ever comes out this far. It's a far walk and most of the kids here are too afraid to." Santana reassured. She was more than positive no one would make the walk out this far just to mess with their tree house. _

_"Are we gonna tell Puck about it?" Quinn asked and Santana shrugged._

_"I don't know. Do you want to?" Santana asked and this time it was Quinn shrugging._

_"I don't know either but I kind of like the idea of it just being ours. Something for us." Quinn said giving Santana a smile and Santana returned it._

_"Then it's settled. It can be just ours." Santana replied with a head nod. The two sat there in silence for a while, their feet dangling just above the water and enjoying the view. _

_"So I hear your parents are coming to visit for a few days. Are you excited?" Santana asked as she chewed away at her nails. It was a habit she picked up and couldn't get rid of. _

_"I mean I guess. I sort of miss them you know but I just-never mind." Quinn said shrugging with a frown on her face. She did miss her parents but there was a reason she liked the time she got away when she visited her grams. It meant no fighting. No yelling. No slamming doors or breaking dishes. It meant the little blonde could have peace of mind._

_"Nah come on. You can tell me." Santana said bumping Quinn's shoulder with a reassuring smile on her face. Quinn knew her parents fighting wasn't nearly as tragic as Santana losing hers but if the girl was willing to listen it could be something Quinn could get off her chest._

_"I do miss my mom and dad. What I don't miss is all the yelling that they do. They're always fighting about something." Quinn said looking at Santana as she bit her lip. She hadn't really told anyone about how bad the fighting between her parents was. It was mostly because she didn't have many friends at school to talk to and it's not like she could talk to Frannie about it because she already knew. She could probably talk to her grams about it but she didn't want to get in trouble if she happened to. _

_"Whether it's about me or my sister, about bills, anything. They yell and scream at each other like whoever is the loudest will win a prize or something. And I know when they get here that isn't going to automatically change." Quinn finished with a sigh. _

_"Man that's rough. I'm sorry that your parents are always fighting. I use to hear mine argue a few times before, you know, and it did suck. Does it ever scare you?" Santana asked and Quinn shook her head. _

_"Yeah. Sometimes my mom will throw things or my dad will slam the front door extra hard when he's leaving to cool off and it gets a little scary. I usually go sleep with Frannie when that happens." Quinn admitted with a shrug before Santana spoke up. _

_"I'll tell you what, when your parents get here if they start fighting or yelling and you just can't take it, call me and we can come here alright?" Santana said and once again Quinn was biting her lip. _

_"What if it's late? I wouldn't want to wake you up or get you in trouble with your abuela." Quinn asked and Santana waved her off._

_"That doesn't matter. Sleep is for babies and old people and I'm in trouble with my abuela half the time anyway. We'll just make it a night adventure." Santana declared, cracking a smile and Quinn did too. _

_"Promise?" Quinn asked as she held up her pinky, signaling for the girl to make her a promise. Santana held up her pinky as well and wrapped it around the blonde's._

_"Promise. Just say the word and I'm here." Santana reassured. Both girls pressed their thumbs together and kissed the skin of it just before spitting over the makeshift balcony. They both settled back into their seats and a comfortable silence but soon Quinn was breaking it. _

_"Thanks for being my friend Santana." Quinn said as she played with her hands, adopting a shy look on her face just before glancing up at the other girl. Santana had a look of surprise on her face. No one had ever thanked her for being their friend. Not even Puck. Most of the time people were running the other way because of her attitude and sharp tongue._

_"You're welcome. It's a hell of a lot better than just being friends with Noah. You're pretty and nice and smell way better too." Santana remarked and both girls laughed. Quinn hadn't missed the part where Santana said she was pretty but it had her wondering if she meant it or just said it because she was being nice. She didn't think about it too much. Either way, it was nice to hear. There was a pregnant pause before Santana was speaking again._

_"Thanks too." Santana declared with a smile before looking away from the blonde and kicking her feet back and forth. _

_"We should probably get going. My grams is most likely wondering where we ran off to." Quinn said with a chuckle and Santana nodded her head. Both girls got to their feet, dusting off the seat of their pants before descending the tree house and, this time, taking the long way around instead of crossing the bridge. _

_Santana chastised the blonde for being so wimpy and declaring that the next time they came they were just going to have to cross it again, because she was not taking the long way around every time, but the blonde argued that they would solve that problem when they got to it. Santana sighed but gave in to Quinn's demands and followed her back to her grams house the long way, half of the way griping in Spanish about how they could have been back hours ago. When they finally made it to the front gate of Betty's house, the middle aged woman was sitting on the front porch waiting for them._

_"And where have you two been this whole time? Hmm?" Betty asked as the two girls came through the gate to stand in front of her. She had her hands placed firmly on her hips and this caused Quinn to bite her lip. It was Santana that spoke up though. _

_"Well you see Ms. Fabray when I was coming home from the lake yesterday I found this really cool but secret old tree house and I just had to show it to Quinn so we went to it real quick and I didn't think you would mind seeing as you said we would be leaving to head to the movies around 5:30 and its only…" Santana paused to look at the Minnie Mouse watch her abuela had gotten her for her tenth birthday. _

_"Its only 5:20 and technically we still have ten more minutes but sorry that I kidnapped Quinn without telling you. It'll never happen again just please don't tell my abuela or else she'll make me wash the windows again. She might even throw in attic dusting and I really couldn't bare that. It's dusty and creepy up there and I think my abuela's old cat died up there as well because it smells something fierce in that place." Santana stopped her mouth from running a mile a minute and caught her breath as she looked at Ms. Fabray. She was trying to assess whether she was washing the windows tomorrow or not. Betty cracked an amused smile at the little brunette in front of her._

_"You know Santana you should really get an award or something for how fast you can flap those gums of yours." Betty said with a chuckle to which Santana playfully rolled her eyes._

_"Thanks. I think." Santana replied and just shook her head. She thought she should get an award for many things. She was just glad someone else recognized that._

_"Well why don't you girls go grab your coats and we'll head out to that movie. I'll get the car started." Betty said and Santana gave the woman a salute just before both girls ran into the house to get their jackets. Soon Santana and Quinn were sliding in the back seat of Betty's VW bus and heading to the movie. Quinn always loved the old thing. It reminded her of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo. She always thought she was riding in style when her grams took her anywhere in it but that wasn't the same for Frannie. She always complained and said it made her look like she was transported back to the days of the Hippies. _

_The three of them sang songs and even played the license plate game as they drove on the highway into the next county. There wasn't much to Clarksburg and even going to the movies was practically going out of your way but it was a lazy Sunday and neither of the three had much to do. When they finally made it to the theater, Betty bought both girls a whole assortment of junk food and the two couldn't have been happier. _

_It just meant that every 15 minutes they were both alternating between using the bathroom from all the soda they had consumed and squirming in their seats due to the sugar rush from all the candy they ate. Even when they were back on the road after the movie had finished, the two of them couldn't sit still. _

_"So did you like the movie?" Quinn asked as her and Santana sat on her front porch. The sky was tinged with reds, blues, and oranges as the two ate their ice cream. Santana shrugged. _

_"Yeah it was good. Funny and sad. I hated the part when all those kids got sick. Balto kicked ass though but he should have kicked that other wolfs ass is what's up." Santana declared and then took a lick from her ice cream cone. Quinn giggled but nodded her head in agreement. Steele was a jerk. _

_"He was just jealous because Jenna liked Balto better." Quinn commented and this time it was Santana giggling._

_"So true!" Santana exclaimed shaking her head. Both girls finished their ice cream and had a race to see who could finish their cones the fastest. Santana won by stuffing the whole thing in her mouth. Then she nearly chocked. Quinn patted her on the back as the brunette hacked and coughed, flakes from the cone puffing out of her mouth as she did. _

_"You okay?" Quinn asked once Santana was done coughing, a hint of amusement and concern in her voice. _

_"Peachy Blondie. I still won." Santana declared when she got a hold of herself and Quinn rolled her eyes playfully. _

_"Oh I'm so sad I lost. Whatever shall I do?" Quinn deadpanned to which Santana bumped her shoulder. Santana let out a sigh and looked up at the steady darkening sky. _

_"Well that's my queue to get going." Santana said as she rose to her feet off the stairs and started towards the gate. Quinn followed behind her. _

_"Are you sure you don't want my grams to give you a ride home? I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Quinn asked and Santana shook her head as she put her hands in her pockets. _

_"Nah I'll be okay. I mean I only live down the street." Santana replied with a chuckle and Quinn gave her a smile._

_"You sure?" Quinn asked again as she leaned over her grams' front gate. Santana gave her a smile. _

_"Positive. I'll see you tomorrow though. Puck wants to go to the arcade and I'm sure you'll want to be there to watch him get his butt handed to him." Santana said with a smirk. _

_"I wouldn't dare miss it." Quinn replied and Santana shook her head. _

_"Catch you later blondie." Santana said before she began making her way down the street and disappearing around the corner. Quinn then made her way back inside tuckered out from the day's events and headed off to bed._

_A few days later both girls stayed true to their word and fixed up their tree house. Santana's abuela had a few extra paint cans left in the basement from when she re-painted the house and with her permission, the pair confiscated them. Santana then had Puck 'borrow' Mr. Connolly's wheel barrel to transport the paint to the tree house and the two got down to business. The girls had a hard time painting the outer wood, stopping while they were ahead when Santana almost fell out of the neighboring tree branch. So half of the outside was painted and half wasn't. Santana claimed it gave it character to which Quinn splashed paint at her and her nonsense, starting a war that neither wanted to forfeit. _

_They made quick work of painting the inside and even swiped an old crate from the Quick and Go as a makeshift table. They decorated it with their own old pillows and shabby blankets, a battery operated lantern that Quinn got from her grams and even had a stash of snacks for when they got hungry. Once they were finished, it was almost like a second home to them. Santana and Quinn made it their own. Their safe haven. They spent more time in that tree house then they did at home and they always kept their promise that whenever things got rough for either one of them, it would be there go to place. It was the one place they both felt they didn't need to be ashamed of being scared, sad, or a little lost in the world at times._

_**AN: I know. It's totally late buuuuut it's midterm week and I've immersed myself in a study cave to be able to make it out of these things alive. I found some down time to post so hoorah. Next chapter features Santana and reviews are always appreciated! **___


	12. The Strange Familiar

_**AN: Sorry that this update took forever. I hit a bad case of writers block with this story but I made a break in it at like 7am after getting a workout by chasing a dwarf hamster around my house this morning. Anyways I hope y'all like it and I swear the next update won't be as long waited for as this one. Enjoy and Review!**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. **

**Clarksburg, Tennessee: Present Day, 2013 **

Quinn had settled in nicely once she got to her grams house. Her and Betty had made breakfast together and caught up before she headed off to her old bedroom for a much needed nap. Jet lag was always her enemy. Hell it was everyone's enemy. It wasn't until around noon that Quinn was woken up by her Grams letting her know that she was heading out to take care of the horses down at the stable. It had Quinn wondering what horses and what stable but those were questions she'd ask her Grams later. Since she was up, the blonde figured she would do the dreaded unpacking and lugged all her bags from downstairs in front of the door where she had left them and back up to her room while only breaking out in a mild sweat.

Rearranging the empty closet with her clothes brought back memories of old days. Days when she would wake up to early morning breakfasts', the sun shining brightly and hotly and Frannie's incessant nagging. Quinn never understood how the older girl could nag on such beautiful days. Days when she would go down to the lake with Santana and Puck and spend the whole time having fun. It reminded her of the mid-summer festivals every year and sneaking a six pack in the bed of Puck's beat up old truck. Quinn couldn't help but smile to herself.

Once the blonde had all of her clothes put away and her roomed straightened up, the bed all neatly fixed, she made her way down to the kitchen. She was famished. Quinn ransacked the fridge and settled on making herself a sandwich and it brought her back to that day that her Grams let her venture out to the store by herself at only nine years old. It was the very first day she met Santana too. She had always known from that day on after meeting the girl that if the girl was in her life, there would probably never be a dull moment. She was pretty much right. Her days with Santana had always been doused in color.

After eating and cleaning up after herself, the blonde could feel the boredom coming on as she sat on the couch in the living room. She could go for a run but she wasn't feeling all that energized from the plane ride. And there wasn't much to clean up around her Grams' place either. The lady really kept a tight ship where cleaning was concerned. The blonde blew out her breath and ventured back into the kitchen where she found her golden ticket. Her Grams' shopping list.

There weren't many things on the list and she could very well handle it, so she called her grams and asked her if she could borrow the mystery machine. It was in great condition still, her grams made sure to keep the maintenance up even though she had bought herself a more efficient car, and if Quinn was being honest she was a little excited to drive it. She had the opportunity to drive it once when she was a kid but her mom deemed it as a death trap and forbid her to. Quinn folded up the list and stuck it in her sweater pocket just before plucking the keys to the mystery machine off the key hook and venturing out the back door to the supermarket.

Quinn browsed through the aisle at the supermarket grabbing things that were on her Grams' list and things that she wanted for herself. She saw some vaguely familiar faces but overall she was happy with the fact that none of them approached her. They stared at her for a while, probably in that do-I-actually-know-her-or-does-she-just-look-familiar phase, but other than that they kept going. After checking off everything on the list and grabbing a bottle of wine for herself among other things, the blonde was off to the checkout. As she was unloading her items onto the conveyer belt, a low whistle was let out.

"Do my eyes deceive me or is that actually Quinn Fabray in the flesh?" She could recognize that voice anywhere and turned around with a smile. Noah Puckerman was walking over to her at the checkout.

"No, it's actually me in the flesh." The blonde replied with a laugh right before the boy pulled her into a bone crushing hug just before spinning her around and putting her back on the ground.

"Lordy it has been a millennium since I've seen that face and let me tell you, time did you good girl!" Noah exclaimed and that had Quinn laughing again. She could feel Puck's eyes roaming all over her but not in the perverted I-wanna-get-you-in-my-bed way but more in the damn-it's-been-ten-years-since-I've-seen-you way. But knowing Puck, the perverted eye roam was probably thrown in there too.

"I'll have to admit time did you good too Noah Puckerman. I like the ruggedness. A lot better than that bullshit boyish charm you tried to pull off when we were kids." Quinn intoned and Puck let out a chuckle.

"That was no bullshit Q. It was all boyish charm and the ladies were helpless to it." Puck replied while Quinn rolled her eyes.

"Helpless to it? More like resistant to it." Quinn declared to which Puck supplied an eye roll of his own.

"Still sassy I see. Some things never change." Puck said. Quinn gave a shrug and a smile.

"Still assy I see. Some things never change." Quinn replied and it was only right that Puck mock the blondes earlier shrug and smile.

"God it's good to see you Quinn." Noah spoke in a sigh as a genuine smile spread across his face. If he wasn't standing in this moment right this instant, he'd call you a liar if you told him Quinn Fabray had breezed back into town.

"It's good to see you too Puck." The blonde replied and she really meant that. She hadn't even so much as thought about this part of her life, these people that used to be so stable in it, in a while and it felt good to see some old faces again.

"Well I have no idea where you've been for the past decade but I'm glad you're back. Speaking of back, how long are you staying for? We gonna tear up this town like the old days?" Noah asked and Quinn shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure how long but we've got time to turn this place upside down Puckerman. I'm totally game." Quinn answered and that earned her a broad, devilish smile from the boy standing across from her.

"I like the sound of that. Well if you wanna start early, early as in tonight, a bunch of us are all going down to Smitty's for a few drinks tonight and you should come. Get a chance to see everyone again." Puck offered as he scribbled something down on a piece of paper on his clip board. He handed the slip of paper with a phone number on it to her. The cashier cleared her throat once, signaling that the two of them needed to wrap their conversation up or learn to multi-task. Quinn inched near her and Puck moved with her.

"This is my number. I can come pick you up if you want that way there's no drinking and driving. Or you could totally just come on your own." The boy said with a laugh as Quinn pocketed the number.

"Yeah I'll definitely see if I can make it out." Quinn said and Puck was giving her a smile again.

"Ma'am?" The cashier called out and Quinn diverted her attention to the young girl.

"Sorry just a minute." Quinn turned back to Puckerman who now had his attention on the girl.

"Come on Stacy, stop being such a hard ass." Puck declared playfully and the girl gave him a smile but still rolled her eyes.

"Well I gotta help the other customers too Puck. Can't you flirt with her on your own time?" The girl supplied to which Puck rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Quinn.

"Anyways I won't hold you or Stacy up any longer. She's being a Nazi about it. But yeah definitely try to come down tonight. I gotta go being manager of this fine establishment isn't as easy as it looks." Puck intoned with a grin. Quinn gave him a wave as he made his way back into the depths of the supermarket. She then made her way to the Stacy to pay.

"Sorry about that." Quinn apologized and the girl waved her off.

"It's cool. I know what he's like. Once he gets talking to a pretty girl you can't get him to shut up." Stacy said with a chuckle and Quinn joined in.

"Anyways, your total is $20.54." Stacy chimed in and Quinn pulled out a 20 and a 5 from her purse, paid, grabbed her things and left the market with a goodbye to Stacy.

On the drive home Quinn couldn't help but smile at having seen Puck again after all these years. She could tell that he was still his old self but maybe more mature. Maybe. Only time would tell. Quinn even found herself wanting to go down to Smitty's tonight and catch up with everyone. And the blonde couldn't help but feel a little nervous at the possibility that Santana would be there. She couldn't decided whether she wanted to actually see the girl or not. Especially after everything that happened. Quinn had no clue whether the girl would be Angry or what when she saw her and now just thinking about it made her want to find any excuse to pass on the invitation. Quinn parked the mystery machine in the garage and ventured into the house to put away the treasures she snagged at the store. To her surprise her grams was in the kitchen when she reached it as well.

"Hey there Quinniebear! How's the day treating ya?" Betty asked as she sat at the kitchen table while Quinn unloaded the groceries.

"It's treating me pretty well Grams. If you couldn't tell, I got a little bored and got the things you needed on your shopping list." Quinn said with a chuckle as she slid the milk onto the top shelf in the refrigerator.

"Aw Quinn you didn't need to do that." Betty said and Quinn shrugged.

"I was bored and it kept me from going insane. I did run into Puck down at the supermarket though." Quinn replied as she finished stocking the last of the items and leaned against the counter with her arms crossed over her chest. Betty took a sip from her glass of juice.

"Oh yea? How did that go?" Betty asked as she leaned back in her chair with a smile. She knew that the girl would run into Puck while she was out shopping. It was only logical seeing as he was the regional manager of the store.

"I think it went pretty well Grams. It was nice talking to him after all this time. He even invited me down to Smitty's tonight for a few drinks with everyone else." Quinn relayed and Betty smiled at that.

"Well are you gonna go?" Betty asked and Quinn shrugged with a timid smile on her face.

"I don't know. Maybe." Quinn supplied as Betty rose from her chair to sit her cup in the sink. She then made her way over to the blonde a gave her a playful bump.

"Come on Quinnie-bear you should go and have some fun. I'll even let you take the truck instead of the mystery machine so you'll be riding in style." Betty encouraged and that earned a chuckle from Quinn. She didn't have the heart to tell her grams that a 2003 Dodge Dakota wasn't exactly riding in style.

"I'll think about it." Quinn finally said and Betty nodded her head.

"That's all I ask." The woman returned as she grabbed her keys off the key hook and Quinn frowned.

"You're leaving again?" Quinn asked as she pushed off the counter.

"Just because I'm old doesn't mean I don't have a life Ms. Quinn Fabray. It's Bingo night down at the center and I've got people placing bets that I'll win again tonight." Betty chuckled and Quinn joined in.

"But I'll be back in time for you to decide whether you wanna go out with your friends tonight or not." Betty implied and Quinn smiled with a nod of her head.

"Well I'm off." Betty announced and was out the back door with a flourish. Quinn sighed at the fact that she was alone again before making her way up the stairs to her room. She then checked her email's, voice mails which there was about ten from Finn, and then her facebook. There were a few messages on there from Finn as well and a few posts on her time line from Rachel and Kurt but nothing extensive. It was then that Quinn got the idea to look up Puck's facebook. She didn't want to be a creeper but she was about to be a creeper.

She made the usual rounds that a facebook stalker makes. First the about, where whether they were in a relationship or not is confirmed and any lingering doubt about if the person you're stalking turned out to be gay because believe it or not that happened a lot. Then it was an overlook of their profile, riddled with funny or lewd statuses and whether the two of you had any mutual friends. You did. Your Grams. Finally, the pictures. Quinn scrolled through various pictures of Puck at parties or with his family, some with her grams and people she remembers from her childhood.

Quinn couldn't help but stop on the one with Puck and who she knows can't be anyone other than Santana. It's the two of them down at the lake, bonfire going, and Puck's arm is wrapped around Santana's shoulder while they both smile at the camera. It's simple yet Quinn can't remember ever seeing someone look so beautiful. The girl looks more mature, she has that beauty that only comes with age, and Quinn can see she let her hair grow out. Not that it was short when they knew each other but it is significantly longer than she remembers it being. Mostly because more times than not she wanted to know what it would feel like if she ran her fingers through it.

The blonde shook her head as she logged out of facebook, trying to rid her mind of thoughts of the brunette. Ten years and Santana still had some kind of effect on her. That's gonna be some kind of a world record right? Quinn put her tablet away just before throwing herself back on the bed with a sigh. The blonde really wanted to go tonight but she was also nervous because by Puck's profile she could tell that him and Santana were still best friends. That meant that more than likely she was gonna be there tonight and Quinn didn't know if she was ready to see the girl just yet.

So instead of thinking about it anymore, the blonde just distracted herself with movies, more web surfing and resisting the urge to go facebook stalk Santana as well, one aggravating game of Angry Birds and multiple word puzzles. By the time she looked at the clock it was already 6:30 in the evening. She thought then that it would be best to text Puck and ask him what time everyone was meeting at the bar. She definitely didn't want to be the first one there. Quinn always thought fashionably late was the way to go. Puck informed her that they were meeting around nine because that's when happy hour started at Smitty's so it was then that Quinn decided she would take a shower. Before she knew it, it was 8:45 and her grams was tossing her the keys to riding in style and encouraging her out the door. Quinn had no idea how the night would turn out but she crossed her fingers anyways and hoped for the best.


	13. Work Hard, Play Harder

_**AN: It's the moment that most of you have been waiting for. Quinntana interaction. I'm not so sure that it's up to your standards or what you imagined but I liked writing it. I hope y'all enjoy it and as always reviews are welcomed.**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

Quinn pulled the truck up into the dirt lot of Smitty's and cut the engine. The place was packed and the blonde thanked her lucky stars she even found a decent spot to park. She could hear the music pumping from inside and she couldn't deny that she was a little excited. Quinn pulled down her visor to check her reflection before she let out a breath.

"Okay Quinn, don't make a fool of yourself. Just act normal. Don't drink too much. You know how you get and you'll only regret it in the morning." Quinn raised her eyebrow menacingly at herself right before she shook her head.

"Stop talking to yourself and get out of the damn car." Quinn whispered before shutting the visor and taking the key out of the ignition. Just then a sudden knock on her window made her nearly jump out of her skin. She opened the door, making sure to hit Puck with it.

"Jesus fuck Noah you scared the shit outta me!" Quinn exclaimed. Puck laughed harder than he already was.

"Sorry blondie! I just saw you sitting out here for a cool minute and I figured you'd lost your way." Puck chuckled and Quinn shut the door and clicked the alarm before stepping in stride with Puck.

"So who's all here?" Quinn asked, ignoring Puck's earlier comment.

"Everyone. It's a thing we do on Thursdays. We all make time to get together here at Smitty's a just have a good time." Puck said as they reached the doors of the bar. Quinn stopped them in their tracks. Puck could see the anxious look on her face so he gave her a smile.

"Don't be nervous kid. It'll be fine." Puck said and Quinn made a face at him.

"I'm not nervous. And don't call me kid." Quinn replied before shoving Puck into the bar and going in after him. The music was loud and the place was crowded. There were howls of laughter, hoots and hollers, and the atmosphere was the very picture of people having a good time. It made Quinn smile even though the nerves were about to make her stomach give way. She and Puck pushed through the crowd to the front of the bar.

"Yeah can I get four shots of tequila?" Quinn heard Puck holler at the bartender over the music before she tugged on his arm.

"Four shots? Three for you and one for me right?" Quinn asked with an eye roll and a smirk. Puck laughed.

"No little lady, we are splitting them equally and don't even think about protesting because I'm paying. There's nothing a woman likes more than free alcohol." Puck chirped and Quinn chuckled.

"I'm sure I can think of a few things that women love more than alcohol. It proves my point that you don't actually know what women want Noah." Quinn replied as she patted Puck on his bald head. He pushed her hand away playfully as the bartender sat the four shots in front of them.

"You think you can handle this, Hollywood?" Puck mocked and Quinn rolled her eyes.

"One, I was not in Hollywood and two-" Quinn quickly knocked back both shots in succession, leaving Puck stunned before slamming the shot glasses back on the bar.

"Alright Quinn!" Puck bellowed and held his hand up for a high five. Quinn could still feel the burn in her throat from the tequila as she returned Puck's high five.

"Although humble tradition says you take shots TOGETHER Fabray." Puck admonished before he knocked back both of his shots, taking a long suck from a lime he grabbed from the trays at the bar.

"Pussy." Quinn teased. The only response she got from Puck was him flipping her the bird.

"Well you know what they say, you are what you eat." Puck defended with a cheeky grin.

"Okay let's go show you off to the rest of the guys." Puck said as he began to steer the blonde towards the tables in the back.

It was the center of all the hooting, hollering and howls of laughter. Everyone was chatting with each other or bobbing their heads to the music and Quinn remembered most of the faces. Sam, Mike, Sugar, Matt, and a few others. Even Dave Karofsky made an appearance, earning a frown from the blonde. But she couldn't hate too much because sometimes people grow. He might have changed from the snot nosed brat he was as a kid and the sheer asshole he was when he was in high school. She saw a lot of people, but no Santana. Maybe luck was on her side tonight.

"Holy shit is that Quinn Fabray!?" Someone yelled out before Puck even had the chance to get her all the way over to the table and both of them laughed. Leave it to Sam to spoil her big entrance.

"It is in fact Quinn Fabray." The blonde called back, making everyone laugh. She and Puck finally made it to the table and everyone was in various states of shock to see the girl.

"Sammy Evans, leave it to you to ruin my big entrance." Quinn called over the music.

"Not trying to ruin it princess just pleasantly surprised." Sam said as he brought the girl into a hug. Everyone just stared at her with smiles on their faces, not saying much at all.

"Alright, next rounds on me!" Puck yelled out and that broke the awkward tension that had begun to form. Quinn had gotten around to talking to almost everyone at the table and doing some catch-up with them. Finally, she was sitting next to Sam as he took a reprieve from dancing and sipping on her margarita.

"So have you gotten a chance to see Santana yet? I'm sure she'd be happy to know you're back in town." Sam said as he bobbed his head to the music and sipped from his drink. Quinn's attention quickly focused on him.

"Um no i-is she here tonight?" Quinn asked, resisting the urge not to slap herself at the stutter of her words. Sam smiled brightly.

"Of course! She's out on the dance floor with Brittany." Sam supplied and then pointed out into the crowd. Quinn could have sworn she was in a teen movie as the crowd parted and the only thing she could see was the smiling face of Santana with a tall blonde. They were twirling each other and dancing in time to the beat of the country song blasting through the speakers. Even though the brunette was being silly and goofing off, she still looked just as beautiful as Quinn remembered.

"Hello, earth to Quinn?" Sam snapped his fingers in front of the other blonde's face and she shook herself out of the Santana induced haze she catapulted into.

"What?" Quinn asked and Sam chuckled.

"I said you should go say hi. I'm sure she won't mind the interruption." Sam suggested and Quinn gave him a smile.

"I don't know. Maybe later. Who's the blonde girl anyway? I don't think I've ever seen her before." Quinn questioned as Sam pulled out a tube of chapstick and ran it over his guppy lips before capping it and putting it in his pocket again. Quinn had to resist the chuckle that threatened to bubble up at the thought of Sam's guppy lips. She remembers exactly when Santana graced Sam with that nickname. They were twelve and she had been on a tangent about him flapping his big guppy lips on the outfield instead of paying attention to their ball. She made it clear to everyone that he was the reason they had lost.

"That's because you haven't seen her before. She moved here with her family the fall after you left. She and Santana really hit it off and they have literally been inseparable ever since. They had a rough patch a while back but that's not for me to discuss. You could always ask San about it if you ever get curious enough." Sam finished before chugging the rest of his drink. Quinn shifted uncomfortably as she watched the two women on the dance floor.

"She's a sight to see if I do say so myself. And a great dancer too." Sam commented as they both studied the pair on the dance floor. Quinn wasn't concerned with the fact that she was a grade A dancer and was more concerned with who this girl was to Santana.

"Anyways, I'm gonna go dance some more, care to join?" Sam asked as he held his hand out. Quinn chuckled but shook her head.

"Nah I think I'm gonna finish my drink but maybe later." Quinn said. Sam gave her a smile but shrugged and made his way over to Santana and Brittany, joining in on the goofy dancing. Quinn sat there for a while finishing her margarita and as the songs changed, couples began to pair up. Quinn didn't miss the way Santana held this Brittany girl close. The blonde couldn't decipher what exactly she was feeling in that moment but she figured it was her cue to go. She was starting to feel the alcohol just a little bit so that strengthened her resolve even more. Quinn said bye to the people scattered at the tables before making her way towards the exit. She didn't see Puck anywhere in sight so she shrugged and kept going.

"Leaving so soon Fabray?" Santana asked with playfulness to her tone. The blonde turned around with a smile of her own spread across her face. Little did the blonde know that Santana had caught a glimpse of her and trailed after her outside of the bar.

"Yeah probably gonna call it a night." Quinn replied and Santana shook her head.

"Oh that's too bad because I'm pretty sure the bartender told me to come get you because there are a few shots of tequila with your name on 'em." Santana announced, earning a chuckle from Quinn.

"I don't know..." Quinn said with a shrug and Santana rolled her eyes playfully.

"Don't be a wuss Fabray." Santana mocked, breaking the girls resolve. Quinn sighed as Santana held her hand out for the blonde to take, letting the brunette lead her back into the bar. They ordered shots and knocked them back, getting themselves all good and liquored up. Santana roped the blonde into hitting the dance floor with everyone else and it was then that Quinn really felt the alcohol hit her.

It slowly took over her mind, body, and inhibitions. Soon she was all over the bar. The blonde was making conversation with everyone. She danced with Santana and the performance was anything but PG. Quinn was even drunk enough to buy everyone around. Then Gretchen Wilson's Work Hard, Play Harder came on and Quinn literally lost her shit. There was dancing on the bar, a point where Quinn lost her shoe – then both of them, line dancing and finally crowd surfing as the blonde swan dived from the bar and into the sea of people below her. The girl finally got passed around to end up at the back of bar where Santana plucked her from some large bear of a man's hands.

"I'll take it from here buddy." Santana said as she took hold of the girl.

"Oh my god did you see that?! I was like a swan diving into the great lake! IT WAS FREAKING AWESOME!" The blonde yelled and Santana couldn't help but laugh. The brunette was sober by now. After she saw the girl climb on the bar, she knew that she would be the one to take her home because Puck was already smashed and so was Sam.

"That's great Quinn. I'm glad you're having fun but I think it's time we call it a night." Quinn pouted at the girls words.

"But San the party just got started." Quinn tried to reason but Santana only laughed and caught the girl before she could tip over.

"Well I hate to be the fun Nazi but I don't think your grams would like it too much if you died of alcohol poisoning or brain damage on my watch." Santana replied and Quinn rolled her eyes with a smile.

"She probably wouldn't. Fine, we can go but not before I say bye to everyone!" The blonde exclaimed and then shot off like a bullet into the crowd again.

"Alright but meet me back here!" Santana yelled after her then blew out a breath. She had forgotten how much of a handful the girl could be when she was properly drunk. Quinn made it back to Santana without as much trouble as Santana thought it would be.

"You ready?" Santana asked her and Quinn gave her a beaming smile.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Quinn slurred before she wobbled and Santana had to reach out to steady her again.

"Alright then but I want you to hold on to my arm so you don't fall. And give me your keys." Santana said and Quinn did as she was told. But just before she was about to hand Santana the keys, she narrowed her eyes at the girl.

"I don't know if I should be giving you these car keys. You are clearly drunk and I'm the sober one. Maybe I should drive." Quinn started to make her way to the driver's side but Santana quickly plucked the keys out of her hand with a chuckle before unlocking the car.

"No, no, no. If you drive, we'll be dead for sure." Santana declared but Quinn frowned.

"How can I be sure that you're actually the sober one? Do something sober!" Quinn demanded and Santana scoffed.

"Really Fabray? Just get your ass in the truck!" Santana yelled at her playfully. The girl was so drunk it was ridiculous.

"Nooooope. Not until you walk a straight line or something. Drinking and driving is D-A-N-G..." The blonde trailed off from her spelling and shook her head.

"I heard it's dangerous, so get to it. Straight line." Quinn demanded again, this time trying to cross her arms over her chest but giving up half way.

"Straight line huh? Well that's gonna be hard. I don't do anything straight." Santana mumbled to herself before she demonstrated a somewhat straight line to the blonde. The girl excitedly clapped her hands when Santana finished.

"YAY! Okay now we can go." The blonde said and then attempted to open the car door. Santana swooped in and opened it for her right before depositing the girl in the car seat and buckling her in herself. Santana wasted no time in gunning the engine and peeling out of Smitty's parking lot. The drive back to Quinn's Grams wasn't long but by the time the brunette pulled into the driveway, the blonde was passed out.

Santana sighed before getting out of the car and coming around the passenger seat. She opened the door and laughed at the picture in front of her. Quinn's hair was all disheveled and impossibly wild, she had on no shoes and there was a bit of drool at the corner of her mouth. Santana couldn't help but think the blonde looked as adorable as ever. Santana then shook her head because thinking those thoughts is what got her in this mess in the first place. What mess? The mess that was being in the presence of Quinn Fabray. The brunette sighed, grabbed hold of the blonde and tugged her out of the car before shutting the door closed with her foot.

Quinn wrapped her arms around the brunette's neck and snuggled in closer, burying her head in the crook of the girl's neck. Santana didn't want to admit that with that simple action, shovers shot down her spine. She made it up the porch without tripping and dropping the girl or bumping her head on anything. She counted that as a success as she rang the doorbell. It was late but she could count on Betty to be up at this time. It was like the woman never slept. The door swung open and Santana put on her best smile.

"Delivery for one Betty Fabray." Santana said and Betty chuckled.

"I take it she had a good time tonight?" Betty asked as she moved aside to let Santana in.

"She indeed had a very good time tonight. One that she will regret having in the morning with the type of hangover she's gonna have." Santana replied as she made her way up the stairs and to Quinn's bedroom. She had to work some black magic to get the bedroom door open but she eventually achieved it and put the girl in bed. She nearly lost an eye as she tried to pull of the girl's sweater and then almost got kicked in the face while she tried to put the girl under the covers. Once she succeeded, she blew out a breath with a light chuckle. Once again, she had forgotten how much of a handful this girl could be when properly drunk. Santana pushed the hair out of the blonde's face before she let out a sigh and headed for the door.

"I don't know how you came back into my life Q, but I'm glad you did." Santana said just before she cut the lights and headed back downstairs. Betty met her at the end of the stairs and she handed the woman her car keys.

"Don't be silly, you have to get back home some way." Betty said as she shoved the keys back into the brunette's hands. Santana chuckled.

"Grams you know I live down the street. It'll take like two minutes." Santana replied and Betty shook her head.

"I know this but I'll feel better if you drive those two minutes. Just bring it back in the morning when you come for breakfast." Betty said with a grin.

"I'm coming for breakfast?" Santana asked and Betty shook her head.

"Yes and I won't take no for an answer." Santana chuckled and nodded her head.

"Then I guess I'll see you in the morning." Santana said before giving the woman a kiss on the cheek and making her way outside. Santana drove all of the two minutes home and as she put herself to bed she couldn't help but think while she didn't know what brought the blonde back to Tennessee or for how long, she was glad she was back.


End file.
